Afro Pop Remix

Topics: Monica Lewinsky Scandal, Jay Z, Beloved (Film), 90's Tech (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound and Luck Pacheco)

Topics: Biggie death, Erykah Badu, Eve's Bayou, Miss Evers' Boys (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco)

Topics: Tupac death, Fugees, Set It Off, Moesha (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound)

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1996 Snapshots

1.    President: Bill Clinton 2.    Jan - Whitewater scandal: U.S. First Lady Hillary Clinton testifies before a grand jury. 3.    Feb - Daniel Green is convicted of the murder of James Jordan, the father of basketball star Michael Jordan. 4.    Mar - Lyle and Erik Menendez are found guilty of first-degree murder for the shotgun killing of their parents. 5.    Apr - Chicago Bulls set a new NBA record for the most wins in a season, 70. 6.    May -? 7.    Jun - The Colorado Avalanche wins their first Stanley Cup in their first season based out of Denver and The Chicago Bulls win their fourth NBA Championship by defeating the Seattle Supersonics. 8.    July - The Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics kills 2 and injures 111. 9.    Aug - Tiger Woods makes his professional PGA Tour debut. 10.    Sep - Tupac Shakur dies. 11.    Oct - The Fox News Channel is launched. 12.    Nov - Bill Clinton defeats Republican challenger Bob Dole to win his second term. 13.    Dec - Death of JonBenét Ramsey: A six-year-old beauty queen is beaten and strangled in the basement of her family's home in Boulder, Colorado; her body is found the following day. 14.    Open Comments: 15.    Music Snapshots 16.    #1 Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix), Los del Río 17.    #2 One Sweet Day, Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men 18.    #3 Because You Loved Me, Celine Dion 19.    Record of the Year: Change the World – Eric Clapton 20.    Album of the Year: Falling Into You – Celine Dion 21.    Song of the Year: Change the World 22.    Best New Artist: LeAnn Rimes 23.    Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: You're Makin' Me High – Toni Braxton 24.    Best Male R&B Vocal Performance: Your Secret Love – Luther Vandross 25.    Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Killing Me Softly – Fugees 26.    Best R&B Song: Exhale (Shoop Shoop), Babyface, songwriter (Whitney Houston) 27.    Best R&B Album: Words – The Tony Rich Project 28.    Best Rap Solo Performance: Hey Lover – LL Cool J 29.    Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: Tha Crossroads – Bone Thugs-N-Harmony 30.    Best Rap Album: The Score – Fugees 31.    Movie Snapshots 32.    #1 Independence Day 33.    #2 Twister 34.    #3 Mission: Impossible 35.    Notables: Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, The Birdcage, Fargo, A Thin Line Between Love and Hate, The Nutty Professor, Kazaam, Set It Off, Space Jam, Jerry Maguire. 36.    TV Snapshots 37.    #1 - ER 38.    #2 - Seinfeld 39.    #3 - Suddenly Susan 40.    Debuts: Moesha, The Daily Show, Kenan & Kel, The Steve Harvey Show, In The House, Malcolm & Eddie, Homeboys in Outer Space, The Jamie Foxx Show 41.    Economic Snapshots 42.    Income = 36.3k (Previously 36K) 43.    House = 118.2K (113) 44.    Car = 16.3k (15.5) 45.    Rent = 554(550) 46.    Harvard = 27.5k (26k) 47.    Movie = 4.42 (4.35) 48.    Gas = 1.22 (1.12) 49.    Stamp = .32 (-) 50.    Social Scene: Tupac Killed 51.    Childhood: Tupac Shakur, born Parish Crooks, was born on June 16, 1971, to Black Panther activist parents in New York City. Thirteen days later, his mother, Alice Faye Walker (Afeni Shakur), changed his name. The parents wanted to avoid him being targeted by Black Panther-affiliated enemies. His mother was imprisoned while she was pregnant with him. Tupac's father, Billy Garland, was also a Panther but lost contact with Afeni when Tupac was five years old. The rapper would not see his father again until he was 23 - I thought my father was dead all my life. 52.    Early Life: He had a difficult childhood, as he grew up in the company of criminals, militant activist, violence, and a drugged addicted mother with a transient lifestyle. Art became a constructive and safe escape. His first acting stint was in 1983 (@12 yrs. old) with the Harlem’s 127th StreetRepertory Ensemble when he performed in a play ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ at the Apollo Theater. In 1984, Tupac's family moved from New York City to Baltimore, Maryland.There he studied poetry, jazz, acting, and ballet at the Baltimore School for the Arts and befriended Jada Pinkett. The family later moved to Marin City, California, across the bay from Oakland, in 1988 (@17 yrs. old). They went to the home of a woman Afeni had been close to during her Black Panther days and lived in a poor housing complex, referred to as ‘the Jungle.’ 53.    Early Career: While attending high school he participated in a poetry workshop known as The Microphone Sessions, organized by Leila Steinberg, who would eventually become his first manager. She introduced 19-year-old Tupac to Atron Gregory, a manager for the World Class Wrekin Cru’ and tour manager for NWA, who had just returned to the Bay Area, started TNT Records, and quickly gained attention by signing Digital Underground.  Gregory matched Tupac with Digital Underground as a roadie and backup dancer. Tupac’s talent was soon recognized by the group, and he began rapping in some of their songs. He debuted on ‘Same Song,’ which was featured in the 1991 film Nothing But Trouble. (@20 yrs. old) 54.    Solo Career: He released his debut solo album ‘2Pacalypse Now’ in 1991. (Big hit - 'Brenda's Got a Baby') Also in 1991, Shakur filed a $10-million lawsuit against the Oakland Police Department for allegedly brutalizing him over jaywalking. The case was settled for about $43,000. (1992 - Juice, first starring role) His second album, ‘Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z’ came out in 1993. It was more successful than its predecessor and contained the hits ‘Keep Ya Head Up’ and ‘I Get Around’. (1993 - Poetic Justice, co-starred with Janet Jackson) In 1994, he formed a group Thug Life and they released one album ‘Thug Life: Volume 1. (1994 - Above the Rim, Co-starred with Duane Martin) During this period he had several brushes with the law (he was associated with the shooting of a 6 yr. old Qa'id Walker-Teal in Marin City / shooting two policemen / various physical assaults) and was shot in an armed robbery case. After recovering from the shooting, he was sent to prison on a sexual assault charge. He released the album ‘Me Against the World’ in 1995 (@24) while serving his prison term. The album was an immediate hit and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. 55.    Final Album: During 1995, while imprisoned, impoverished, and with his mother about to lose her house, Tupac had his wife get word to Marion Suge Knight, in Los Angeles, boss of the Death Row Records, at the time a verry successful company, and asked for a meeting. Tupac's mother received $15k, Suge paid Tupac's $1.4m bail, signed the rapper, and went to work on the album ‘All Eyez on Me’. The album was recorded in two weeks! In a matter of two weeks, Tupac recorded and completed the double-disc album, completing two out of three albums he owed Death Row. (The third release would end up being the posthumously released The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory) Released in February of 1996, the album featured five singles and went multi-Platinum in just a few months after its release. 56.    Death: Seven months later, in September 1996, Tupac was killed in a drive-by shooting. He was 25 years old. 57.    Open Comments: 58.    Question: Confused young man or someone to be taken seriously? (What did he represent?) 59.    Music Scene: 60.    Black Songs in the Top 40 61.    #1 Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix), Los del Río 62.    #2 One Sweet Day, Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men 63.    #4 Nobody Knows, The Tony Rich Project 64.    #5 Always Be My Baby, Mariah Carey 65.    #6 Give Me One Reason, Tracy Chapman 66.    #7 Tha Crossroads, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony 67.    #9 You're Makin' Me High / Let It Flow, Toni Braxton 68.    #10 Twisted, Keith Sweat 69.    #11 C'mon N' Ride It (The Train), Quad City DJ's 70.    #14 Exhale (Shoop Shoop), Whitney Houston 71.    #16 Sittin' Up in My Room, Brandy 72.    #17 How Do U Want It / California Love, 2Pac featuring K-Ci and JoJo 73.    #20 Hey Lover, LL Cool J 74.    #21 Loungin, LL Cool J 75.    #23 Be My Lover, La Bouche 76.    #27 I Can't Sleep Baby (If I), R. Kelly 77.    #32 Not Gon' Cry, Mary J. Blige 78.    #33 Gangsta's Paradise, Coolio featuring L.V. 79.    #34 Only You, 112 featuring The Notorious B.I.G. and Mase 80.    #35 Down Low (Nobody Has to Know), R. Kelly featuring The Isley Brothers 81.    #36 You're the One, SWV 82.    #37 Sweet Dreams, La Bouche 83.    #38 Before You Walk Out of My Life / Like This and Like That, Monica 84.    #40 1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New), Coolio 85.    #42 No Diggity, Blackstreet featuring Dr. Dre 86.    Vote: 87.    Top RnB Albums 88.    Jan - Waiting to Exhale, Soundtrack / Various artists 89.    Feb - Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton, Eazy-E 90.    Mar - All Eyez on Me, 2Pac 91.    Mar - The Score, Fugees 92.    Apr - The Coming, Busta Rhymes 93.    Apr - The Resurrection, Geto Boys 94.    Jun - Gettin' It (Album Number Ten), Too Short 95.    Jun - Legal Drug Money, Lost Boyz 96.    Jun - The Nutty Professor, Soundtrack / Various artists 97.    Jul - Secrets, Toni Braxton 98.    Jul - Keith Sweat, Keith Sweat 99.    Jul - It Was Written, Nas 100.    Aug - Beats, Rhymes and Life, A Tribe Called Quest 101.    Sep - ATLiens, Outkast 102.    Sep - Home Again, New Edition 103.    Oct - Another Level, Blackstreet 104.    Nov - Bow Down, Westside Connection 105.    Nov - Ironman, Ghostface Killah 106.    Nov - The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, Makaveli 107.    Nov - Tha Doggfather, Snoop Dogg 108.    Dec - Hell on Earth, Mobb Deep 109.    Dec - Muddy Waters, Redman 110.    Vote: 111.    Featured Artist: The Fugees 112.    Lauryn Hill (@21 yrs. old in 1996) was born in 1975 to a high school teacher and computer expert in New Jersey. Her mother played piano and her father sang in nightclubs. Young Lauryn sang in church choirs, gospel groups and showed a strong voice. She loved '60s and '70s soul and by age thirteen, she was playing the amateur night showtime at the Apollo, doing a cover of Smokey Robinson's "Who's Loving You". Hill nabbed minor roles on television's As the World Turns and in the film Sister Act II: Back in the Habit. Her work with the Fugees began in 1987 in high school with friend Prakazrel Samuel Michel. 113.    "Pras" (@23 in 1996) was born in Brooklyn in 1972 and raised in New Jersey. He showed an early interest in music and attended Rutgers University and Yale University, pursuing a double major in Philosophy and Psychology. 114.    Wyclef Jean (@27 yrs. old) was born in 1969 in Haiti, the son of a minister. When he was nine, he moved to the projects of Brooklyn, and later New Jersey, where he took up guitar and the study of music. 115.    The trio formed in the late '80s, named themselves the Tranzlator Crew and used Hill's soap opera acting proceeds to pay for equipment. They toured the tri-state area and were signed to major label Ruffhouse/Columbia in 1993. Hill was still a minor. Shortly thereafter, they renamed themselves Fugees, a derisive slang term for refugees, and released a debut 12-inch Fugees (Tranzlator Crew) "Boof Baf" to no notable sales. 116.    Their 1994 debut LP Blunted on Reality, stylized in a fashion like A Tribe Called Quest, Poor Righteous Teachers, and Digable Planets, did better. However, it was the remixed versions of "Nappy Head (Mona Lisa)" and "Vocab" that earned the group another budget for a follow-up album. (Also, notable, in later interviews Pras would say that a married Wyclef and the underage Hill were having a clandestine relationship at the time) 117.    Combining a mix of conscious hip hp, soul, and reggae, with a homemade basement studio, sampled melodies, live guitars, bass, keys, "The Score" arrived in 1996, filling the void between gangsta and glitter. It became an instant classic, ultimately selling over 18 million copies. 118.    Open Comments: 119.    Internal "Affairs": In the summer of 1996, on the Smoking Grooves Tour, Hill met Rohan Marley, (one of Bob Marley's kids) and even though the former University of Miami football player was initially rebuffed, because Hill was still seeing Jean, , no one knew who the child really belonged to. 120.    In the summer of 1996 Hill had met Rohan Marley, a son of Bob Marley and a former University of Miami football player. Hill subsequently began a relationship with him, while still also involved with the married Wyclef. She soon became visibly pregnant. Marley and Hill's first child was born the following summer. 121.    Soon after Zion was born, she learned that Marley already had a wife and two children from another marriage. 122.    Amid newfound international fame and baby Daddy drama, Wyclef did not support Hill's solo desires (she had made appearances on Wyclef's solo project), thus leading to the group splitting up. 123.    Hill started work on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill; blocking out Wyclef Jean from any type of production help after he had snubbed her. Her old-school takes on "Doo Wop (That Thing)" helped it rule the charts in 1998 and win five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Best New Artist, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song, and Best R&B Album -- the most ever for a woman. 124.    Meanwhile, Hill was having more of Marley's children and becoming close with Brother Anthony, a spiritual adviser who studied the Bible with her several times per week. In 2001, she recorded an MTV Unplugged session where she broke down in tears and admitted to being deranged and emotionally unstable. Rolling Stone called the session "a public breakdown", though it debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and went platinum. 125.    She has been a sporadic and reluctant public figure ever since. 126.    Question: Have you ever had an affair with a co-worker? How did it turn out? 127.    Movie Scene: Set It Off. [Directed by F. Gary Gray Action, Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller. Starring Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett, and Vivica A. Fox] 128.    Rotten Tomatoes, Critics Consensus: It may not boast an original plot, but Set It Off is a satisfying, socially conscious heist film thanks largely to fine performances from its leads. 129.    Emanuel Levy, Variety 11-1996: Influenced by "Thelma & Louise" and "Waiting to Exhale," F. Gary Gray's "Set It Off" is a well-crafted girls-n-the-hood actioner, with an acute social conscience and plenty of soul. A tale of female bonding and empowerment, this relevant film boasts a terrific cast, headed by Jada Pinkett and Queen Latifah in career-making performances. 130.    Stephen Holden, New York Times 11-1996: Just Trying to Get Even While They Get Rich. On the long list of Hollywood heist movies that make you root for its criminals to steal a million dollars and live happily ever after, F. Gary Gray's film ''Set It Off'' is one of the most poignantly impassioned. If this messy roller coaster of a film often seems to be going in several directions at once, it never for a second loses empathy for its quartet of black female bank robbers who grew up together in a Los Angeles housing project and earn meager wages working for a janitorial service... A pop psychologist might translate the story into a fable called ''Women Who Rob Banks and the Society That Hates Them.' 131.    Roger Ebert 11-1996: “Set It Off” is advertised as a thriller about four black women who rob banks. But it's a lot more than that. It creates a portrait of the lives of these women that's so observant and informed; it's like “Waiting to Exhale” with a strong jolt of reality. The movie surprised and moved me: I expected a routine action picture and was amazed how much I started to care about the characters. 132.    Kent, Entertainment Weekly 09-2019: Why Set It Off is an era-defining film that shouldn't be remade. We are clearly in the age of reboots and remakes, but the '90s heist film is irreplaceable. 133.    Question 1: Remake or Sequel? 134.    Question 2: Do we really want more black female action heroines/stories? (i.e., women of Black Panther, "Breaking In" movie, Berry, Valkyrie, Guardians...etc.) 135.    TV Scene: Moesha 136.    Screen Rant: No show lasts for six seasons without making a cultural impact; Moesha was nominated for 32 awards and won three: two NAACP Image Awards and one SHINE Award. The series was syndicated, and still airs around the world. Netflix picked up streaming rights to the series in 2020, which became available to US subscribers on August 1, 2020. As new viewers will discover, however, despite how influential the show was, it ends abruptly after a significant cliffhanger for the main character in the season 6 finale. Despite the recognition, the show steadily declined in ratings, leading to its cancelation. 137.    Moesha Mitchell went through quite the journey on Moesha. At the beginning of the series, Moesha was still dealing with her mother's death a few years prior and learning to come to terms with her new stepmother, Deirdre "Dee" Mitchel (Sheryl Lee Ralph) — who just happened to be the vice principal at Moesha's school. The final season sees Brandy experiencing the trials and tribulations of being a young adult, complete with an engagement to long-time on-again, off-again boyfriend Quinton "Q" Brooks (Fredro Starr) and attending college. The final episode ends with the reveal of a positive pregnancy test in Moesha's dorm — who it belongs to, however, is a mystery. Since the show never got another season, the storyline was never resolved. 138.    According to EW, at the time, UPN's plan was to address the pregnancy cliffhanger in the spin-off series The Parkers, which premiered on the network in 1999. The Parkers followed Moesha's "boy-crazy" friend Kimberly Ann "Kim" Parker as she navigated attending college with her mother, who has decided to enlist at the same time as her daughter. For unknown reasons, however, the planned resolution never took place, despite The Parkers running until 2005. With there being reports of a possible reboot series in the works, perhaps this Moesha storyline — as well as the question of what happened to Moesha's brother Myles, who disappeared in the finale — can finally be laid to rest." 139.    Question: Is it reboot worthy? / Is any classic black TV show reboot worthy? 140.    Vote: Best/most important/favorite pop culture item from 1996?

Topics: Million Man March, TLC, Friday, UPN (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco)

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Topics: OJ Simpson, R. Kelly & Aaliyah, Samuel Jackson, Black TV Cancellation (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound)

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Topics: OJ Simpson, R. Kelly & Aaliyah, Samuel Jackson, Black TV Cancellation (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound)

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Topics: WTC Bombing, Urban Fashion, Dr. Dre, Menace II Society, Living Single (Bonus Artist: Luck)

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https://www.vibe.com/2016/01/1993-the-year-hip-hop-and-rb-conquered-the-world "1993: The Year Hip-Hop And R&B Conquered The World" 1993 was a historically transformative period for hip-hop and rhythm and blues. When VIBE Magazine dropped its iconic black and white debut issue in September of 1993—featuring a ridiculously fresh faced Snoop Doggy Dogg gracing the landmark cover—it was yet another reminder how ubiquitous urban culture had become. 1993: Hip Hop Artist that released albums A Tribe Called Quest / Bone Thugs-n-Harmony / Cypress Hill / De La Soul / Digable Planets / Digital Underground / DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince / Eazy-E / Fat Joe / Geto Boys / Heavy D & the Boyz / Ice Cube / Ice-T / Insane Clown Posse / Jodeci / Jungle Brothers / Kid Rock / Kris Kross / KRS-One / LL Cool J / Luke / MC Lyte / Naughty by Nature / Onyx / Queen Latifah / Run-D.M.C. / Salt-n-Pepa / Shaquille O'Neal / Snoop Dogg / Tag Team / The Roots / Too Short / Tupac / Wu-Tang Clan / Yo-Yo

Topics: L.A. Riots, Mary J. Blige, White Men Can't Jump, Def Comdey Jam (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound)

1992 Snapshots

1. President: George H. W. Bush

2. Feb - In Indianapolis, Indiana, boxer Mike Tyson is convicted of raping Desiree Washington.

3. Mar - H. Ross Perot announces that he will run for U.S. President.

4. Apr - Mafia boss John Gotti is convicted of the murder of mob boss Paul Castellano and of racketeering, and is later sentenced to life in prison.

5. Apr - Former tennis player Arthur Ashe, 48, announces that he is suffering from the AIDS virus, which he is believed to have contracted from a blood transfusion during heart surgery in 1983.

6. Apr - In Simi Valley, California, a jury acquits four LAPD police officers accused of excessive force in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King, causing the 1992 Los Angeles riots and leading to 53 deaths and $1 billion in damage.

7. May - After 30 years, Johnny Carson retires as host of NBC's The Tonight Show.

8. Jun - During a spelling bee at a Trenton, New Jersey elementary school, U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle erroneously corrects a student's spelling of the word potato, indicating it should have an e at the end.

9. Jul - 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona, Spain

10. Oct - The video game Mortal Kombat is released.

11. Nov - Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas defeats incumbent President George H. W. Bush and businessman H. Ross Perot in the US presidential election. ["It's the economy, stupid"/ "I didn't inhale."]

12. Dec - Hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre releases his solo debut studio album The Chronic.

13. Top 3 Pop Songs

14. #1 - End of the Road", Boyz II Men

15. #2 - "Baby Got Back", Sir Mix-a-Lot

16. #3 - ‘Jump", Kris Kross

17. Record of the Year - Eric Clapton for "Tears in Heaven"

18. Album of the Year - Eric Clapton for Unplugged

19. Song of the Year - Eric Clapton "Tears in Heaven"

20. Best New Artist - Arrested Development

21. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female - Chaka Khan for The Woman I Am

22. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male - Al Jarreau for Heaven and Earth

23. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal - Boyz II Men for "End of the 24. Road"

25. Best Rap Solo Performance - Sir Mix-a-Lot for Baby Got Back

26. Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group - Arrested Development for Tennessee

27. #1 - Aladdin

28. #2 - The Bodyguard

29. #3 - Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

30. Notables: Juice, American Me, Basic Instinct, Deep Cover, Sister Act, A league of Their Own, Mo' Money, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Mighty Ducks, Reservoir Dogs, Malcolm X, The Bodyguard, A Few Good Men, Toys, White Men Can't Jump

31. Top 3Tv Shows

32. #1 60 Minutes

33. #2 - Roseanne

34. #3 - Home Improvement

35. Debuts: Hanging with Mr. Cooper and Def Comedy Jam

36. Economic Snapshots

37. Avg. Income: 30k (29.9k - previously)

38. New Home: 122.5 (120k)

39. Avg Rent: 519 (495)

40. New Car: 16.9k (16.8k)

41. Harvard: 15.4 (14.5k)

42. Movie Ticket: 4.25 (4.25)

43. Gas: 1.05 (1.12)

44. Stamp: .29 (.25)

45. Social Scene: LA Riots

46. Audio Clip

47. Open Comments

48. Question: Do riots actually serve a meaningful purpose? What would you tell your kids if 49. they were in a riot? (On either side)

50. Music Scene

51. Top Black Songs from the top 40

52. #1. "End of the Road". Boyz II Men

53. #2. "Baby Got Back". Sir Mix-a-Lot

54. #3. "Jump". Kris Kross

55. #4. "Save the Best for Last". Vanessa Williams

56. #5. "Baby-Baby-Baby". TLC

57. #7. "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)". En Vogue

58. #9. "All 4 Love". Color Me Badd

59. #10. "Just Another Day". Jon Secada

60. #11. "I Love Your Smile". Shanice

61. #14. "Black or White". Michael Jackson

62. #16. "I'll Be There". Mariah Carey

63. #19. "Remember the Time". Michael Jackson

64. #20. "Finally". CeCe Peniston

65. #23. "Can't Let Go". Mariah Carey

66. #24. "Jump Around". House of Pain

67. #25. "Diamonds and Pearls". Prince and The New Power Generation

68. #27. "Masterpiece". Atlantic Starr

69. #29. "Giving Him Something He Can Feel". En Vogue

70. #31. "Come and Talk to Me". Jodeci

71. #33. "Humpin' Around". Bobby Brown

72. #35. "Tell Me What You Want Me to Do". Tevin Campbell

73. #36. "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg". TLC

74. #37. "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday". Boyz II Men

75. #38. "Move This". Technotronic featuring Ya Kid K

76. #40. "Tennessee". Arrested Development

77. #41. "The Best Things in Life Are Free". Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson

78. #42. "Make It Happen". Mariah Carey

79. #44. "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss". P.M. Dawn

80. #46. "2 Legit 2 Quit". Hammer

81. #47. "Please Don't Go". KWS

82. #48. "Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)". Mint Condition

83. Vote:

84. Top RnB Albums

85. Jan - Dangerous, Michael Jackson

86. Feb - Keep It Comin', Keith Sweat

87. Apr - Private Line, Gerald Levert

88. May - The Comfort Zone, Vanessa Williams

89. May - Funky Divas, En Vogue

90. May - Totally Krossed Out, Kris Kross

91. Jun - Dead Serious, Das EFX

92. Oct - What's the 411?, Mary J. Blige

93. Nov - Bobby, Bobby Brown

94. Dec - The Predator, Ice Cube

95. Vote:

96. Featured Artist: Mary J. Blige

97. Audio:

98. Open Comments

99. Movie Scene: White Men Can't Jump

100. Audio Clip

101. Open Comments

102. Question: Why do Black people LOVE basketball?

103. TV Scene: Def Comedy Jam

104. According to Russel Simmions, In his book "Life and Def: Sex, Drugs, Money + God" The inspiration for Def COmedey Jam was a club on Crenshaw Blvd in L.A. called the Comedy Act Theater. Robin Harris hosted performances there, and he already had a serious underground buzz, from House PArty and Do the Right Thing. At the same time, everywhere Russell traveled, the "Black Comedy" nights were hot, and Russel was always looking for stuff that was "hot" with his hip-hop customer base.

105. In 1989, he eventually hooked up with Hollywood power player Stan Lathan (Sanford & Son, Hill Street Blues, Miami Vice, Remington Steele ,Cagney & Lacey, Frank's Place, Roc and the 1984 classic feature film Beat Street) and they began creating Def Comedy Jam.

106. The original run of Def Comedy Jam ran from July 1, 1992 to January 1, 1997. In the fall of 2006 it returned to HBO. Many comedians had their careers launched by the huge success of this series!

107. Robin Harris was going to be the original host, but he died in 1990. Eddie Murphy was a big supporter of Martin Lawrence to replace Harris.

108. The show caught major criticism for using excessive foul language and a “supposed” negative representation of African Americans. Bill Cosby and Sidney Potier were major critics.

109. Def Comedy Jam, went on to become the longest running HBO series ever, launched the careers of several A-List comedians today.

110. 1992 Alumni:

111. Chris Tucker, Martin Lawrence, Steve Harvey, Bernie Mac, Bill Bellamy, DL Hughley, Adele Givens, Cedric the Entertainer, Dave Chapelle, Eddie Griffin, Joe Torry, Michael Colyar, and Ricky Harris Jr.

112. Open Comments

113. Question: Favorite bit/comedian?

114. Vote: Best/most important/favorite pop culture item from 1992?

Questions: 1. Scared yet: CV19 what we know 2. Health: How you be? personally, family, and friends 3. Quarantine life: stir crazy yet? How is technology helping? What’s up with Work/Exercise/Entertainment/Education? 4. Government response: local state federal 5. Future behavior: keep social distancing, hand washing, gloves masks wipes

(Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound)

Topics: Rodney King, Boyz II Men / Jodeci, Boyz In the Hood, Roc - Sitcom (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco)

1991 General Snapshots 1.    President: George H. W. Bush 2.    January - Gulf War: The Congress of the United States passes a resolution authorizing the use of military force to liberate Kuwait. 5 days later, Operation Desert Storm begins with airstrikes against Iraq. 3.    January - Whitney Houstondelivers her now legendary rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" 4.    February - Gulf War: U.S. President George H. W. Bush announces that "Kuwait is liberated". 5.    February - Tim Meadows and Adam Sandler join the cast of NBC's Saturday Night Live. 6.    March - An amateur video captures the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles, California police officers. 7.    July - Boxer Mike Tyson is arrested and charged with raping Miss Black America contestant Desiree Washington in Indianapolis, Indiana. 8.    July - Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is arrested after the remains of eleven men and boys are found in his Milwaukee, Wisconsin apartment. Police soon find out that he is involved in six more murders. 9.    August - Nickelodeon introduces its series of Nicktoons, with Doug, Rugrats and The Ren & Stimpy Show the first three to air. 10.    August - The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is first released in the United States. 11.    October - The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee interviews both Supreme Court candidate Clarence Thomas and former aide Anita Hill, who alleges that Thomas sexually harassed her while she worked for him. 12.    October - Jennifer Lopez joins the cast as one of the Fly Girls on the Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color (she would leave the show after the next season). Other cast additions include future Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx. 13.    November - Los Angeles Lakers point guard Magic Johnson announces that he has HIV, effectively ending his NBA career. 14.    November - Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury dies from AIDS at 45 years old, one day after making his diagnosis public. 15.    December - The Cold War ends as President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev resigns and the Soviet Union dissolves. 16.    Open Comments 17.    Top 3 Pop Songs 18.    #1 - "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You", Bryan Adams 19.    #2 - "I Wanna Sex You Up", Color Me Badd 20.    #3 - "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)", C+C Music Factory 21.    Record of the Year: "Unforgettable" performed by Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole 22.    Album of the Year: Unforgettable... with Love performed by Natalie Cole 23.    Song of the Year: "Unforgettable" performed by Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole 24.    Best New Artist: Marc Cohn 25.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Lisa Fischer for "How Can I Ease the Pain" & Patti LaBelle for "Burnin'" 26.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: Luther Vandross for Power of Love 27.    Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Boyz II Men for "Cooleyhighharmony" 28.    Best Rhythm & Blues Song: "Power of Love/Love Power" performed by Luther Vandross 29.    Best Rap Solo Performance: LL Cool J for "Mama Said Knock You Out" 30.    Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince for "Summertime" 31.    Top 3 Movies 32.    #1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day     33.    #2. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves 34.    #3. Beauty and the Beast 35.    Notables: The Silence of the Lambs, New Jack City, The Five Heartbeats, A Rage in Harlem, Thelma & Louise, Jungle Fever, Point Break, and House Party 2 36.    Top 3 TV Shows 37.    #1 60 Minutes 38.    #2 Roseanne 39.    #3 Murphy Brown 40.    Mea Culpa: Family Matters originated 9/22/1989 on ABC 41.    Notables: The Party Machine with Nia Peeples, The Jerry Springer Show, The Montel Williams Show, Hammerman, & Roc. 42.    Economic Snapshots 43.    Avg. Income: 29.9k (29K) 44.    New Home: 120k (previously 123K) 45.    Avg Rent: 495 (465) 46.    New Car: 16.8k (16K) 47.    Harvard: 14.5k (13.5k) 48.    Movie Ticket: 4.25 (3.50) 49.    Gas: 1.12 (1.34) 50.    Stamp: .25 (.25) 51.    Social Scene: Police Beating of Rodney King 52.    Early Life: Rodney King (@ 26 yrs. old), born in Sacramento, CA, was an American taxi driver who is best known for the 1991 police beatings and the 1992 riots as a result of the officers’ trial. 53.    Prior Record: In 1987, he pleaded no contest to a charge of battery. In 1989, King was imprisoned for robbery after robbing a store; he served one year of a two-year sentence. 54.    1991 Arrest: Rodney King attempted to outrun a police patrol car in March 1991. King had been drinking and feared he would be over the limit, driving under the influence charge would have seen King return to jail. King refused to pull over for the police and a high-speed chase ensued. Eventually, King was cornered, and he and the other occupants of the car were ordered to leave the vehicle and lie face down on the ground. King refused and was forcibly removed from the car. While on the ground the police beat and abused the three men. The Los Angeles Police Department then arrived on the scene; the original officers on the scene had been highway patrol. Rodney King resisted arrest and was tasered. King was then viciously beaten repeatedly while on the ground by police wielding batons. King continually attempted to stand up only to be met with a further hail of baton blows from the four police officers. King suffered from thirty-three baton blows and six kicks before having his arms and legs cuffed. Eight officers were involved in his arrest. George Halliday, a man who lived near the sight of the arrest, had filmed the arrest from the time that King was tasered. Halliday contacted the LAPD about his videotape, but the police department showed no interest in the footage. Halliday next presented the footage to a local TV station which aired the footage. It caused a sensation across the media. The footage made Rodney King’s arrest a lightning rod for a more comprehensive discussion about police brutality against minorities. 55.    Legal Proceedings: Rodney King had suffered facial fractures, lacerations and a broken ankle from his arrest. The city awarded King damages amounting to 3.8 million dollars as well as covering his legal costs which totaled to close to two million dollars. He was also not charged with drink driving or evading arrest due to the time between the incident and the start of legal proceedings. Four LAPD officers were charged with using excessive force. The legal case against the officers was mired in controversy from the start as the initial judge, Bernard Kamins was removed, and the trial received a change of venue. Warren Christopher also began a commission to investigate accusations of police discrimination. Three of the officers charged were acquitted, and the fourth faced a no verdict. The court’s decision shocked the nation. The mayor of Los Angeles, Tom Bradley, and the President of the United States of America, George Bush, both declared they could not understand the verdict and condemned the officers involved. Many African Americans considered the trial a whitewash and were incensed. Following the 1992 Riots, the officers were tried in a federal court, and two were found guilty and sentenced to thirty months in prison. 56.    Rodney King Riots: Following the court's verdict and the release of the officers, widespread civil unrest erupted in North America. The worst of the rioting was confined to LA, but Las Vegas, San Francisco, Atlanta and even Toronto in Canada experienced violence. The 1992 LA Riots became known as the Rodney King Riots due to their link to the court case. King appeared on TV during the riots to appeal for calm. Before the verdict was announced the police, force had been expecting trouble, money for overtime and a delay in the reading of the verdict were granted to give police time to prepare. Rioting started at a liquor store in Normandie. LAPD officers attempted to make an arrest a hostile crowd surrounded them and forced them to retreat. TV coverage of the violence encouraged more people to take to the streets, and the police communications proved wholly inadequate to deal with the spread of the violence. The rioters began destroying property and attacking people going about their business. Over a thousand firearms were looted, and some fires were started as night set in. The riots spread throughout the city and emergency workers came under gunfire as they attempted to tackle the fires and help the wounded. A curfew was declared, and the National Guard began deploying. Despite this the second day of looting and arson took place. Rioting spread to Hollywood, Inglewood, Long Beach and Compton. Police was criticized for focusing their attention on defending the wealthier areas of LA such as Beverley Hills. Other minority neighborhoods were forced to form militias to protect their property. Korean shopkeepers were involved in a shoot-out with rioters in Koreatown. On the third day of rioting, the Federal government took direct control of all military in the area and began overseeing the response to the riots. Troops and police officers from other regions of California started pouring into the city. On the fourth day, over thirteen thousand soldiers were deployed on the streets of LA, and the rioting was slowly quelled. The riot was spread over six days, but troops remained in the area for weeks afterward. Fifty-five people died during the riots and over two thousand hospitalized. A billion dollars’ worth of damage had been done; the worst affected were the Korean community. Eleven thousand people were arrested during the rioting, but because of the sheer volume of prisoners, police were unable to prosecute the majority. 57.    King After the Riots: Rodney King continued to have run-ins with the law and was sometimes arrested after the 1992 Riots. In 2007, King was shot in an attempted robbery. King appeared in a reality TV show, Sober House, which covered celebrities in rehab. 2012 saw King publish his memoirs, The Riot Within: My Journey from Rebellion to Redemption. Rodney King fathered a daughter with Carmen Simpson when they were both teenagers. In 1985, he married Daneta Lyles, and they had a daughter together. The pair divorced in 1988. King then married Crystal Waters, with whom he also had a daughter. They divorced in 1996. King had been arrested for assaulting both his wives. In 2010, King began living with Cynthia Kelly, and it was she who found him in the swimming pool on 17 June 2012. King was pronounced dead by medical staff, and plenty of drugs and alcohol were found in his system. 58.    The King beating began a wave of reforms for the Los Angeles Police Department, including tighter rules on when officers can use force, more minority officers, and stricter term limits for police chiefs. 59.    Question: What is the lesson to be learned? 60.    Question: What do we teach the children about dealing with cops? 61.    Top Black Songs from the top 40 62.    #2 - "I Wanna Sex You Up", Color Me Badd 63.    #3 - "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)", C+C Music Factory 64.    #4 - "Rush Rush", Paula Abdul 65.    #8 - "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)", Hi-Five 66.    #9 - "The First Time", Surface 67.    #11 - "Motownphilly", Boyz II Men 68.    #12 - "Because I Love You (The Postman Song)", Stevie B 69.    #13 - "Someday", Mariah Carey 70.    #16 - "All the Man That I Need", Whitney Houston 71.    #18 - "I Adore Mi Amor"    , Color Me Badd 72.    #19 - "Love Will Never Do (Without You)", Janet Jackson 73.    #20 - "Good Vibrations", Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch 74.    #21 - "Justify My Love", Madonna 75.    #22 - "Emotions", Mariah Carey 76.    #24 - "Romantic", Karyn White 77.    #25 - "Hold You Tight", Tara Kemp 78.    #26 - "I Don't Wanna Cry", Mariah Carey 79.    #28 - "Every Heartbeat", Amy Grant 80.    #29 - "Sensitivity", Ralph Tresvant 81.    #30 - "Touch Me (All Night Long)", Cathy Dennis 82.    #31 - "I've Been Thinking About You", Londonbeat 83.    #32 - "Do Anything", Natural Selection 84.    #34 - "Coming Out of the Dark", Gloria Estefan 85.    #35 - "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over", Lenny Kravitz 86.    #36 - "Here We Go", C+C Music Factory 87.    #38 - "Summertime", DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince 88.    #40 - "P.A.S.S.I.O.N.", Rythm Syndicate 89.    Vote: 90.    Top R&B Albums 91.    Jan - I'm Your Baby Tonight - Whitney Houston 92.    Feb - The Future - Guy 93.    Feb - Do Me Again - Freddie Jackson 94.    Mar - Business as Usual - EPMD 95.    Apr - Ralph Tresvant - Ralph Tresvant 96.    Apr - Hi-Five - Hi-Five 97.    Apr - New Jack City - Soundtrack / Various artists 98.    Jun - Power of Love - Luther Vandross 99.    Jul - Make Time for Love - Keith Washington 100.    Aug - Jungle Fever - Soundtrack / Stevie Wonder 101.    Aug - Cooleyhighharmony - Boyz II Men 102.    Sep - Boyz n the Hood - Soundtrack / Various artists 103.    Oct - Can You Stop the Rain - Peabo Bryson 104.    Oct - Good Woman - Gladys Knight 105.    Oct - Different Lifestyles - BeBe & CeCe Winans 106.    Nov - As Raw As Ever - Shabba Ranks 107.    Nov - Forever My Lady - Jodeci 108.    Nov - Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black - Public Enemy 109.    Dec - Diamonds and Pearls - Prince and The New Power Generation 110.    Dec - Death Certificate - Ice Cube 111.    Vote: 112.    Featured Artists #1: Boyz II Men is the most commercially successful R&B group of all time. They've sold millions of records and produced three of the longest-running No. 1 pop singles in music history. The pioneering R&B group is known for their flawless blend of four-part harmonies, and their influence is still felt to this day. 113.    Formation: Boyz II Men formed in 1988 at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts. Nathan Morris and Marc Nelson founded the group, originally known as Unique Attraction. Other members came and went due to graduation, but Morris and Nelson eventually met Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockmanand Michael McCary, and the group stabilized. They took inspiration from the popular R&B group New Edition and renamed themselves Boyz II Men after their song "Boys to Men." They got their big break in 1989 when they snuck backstage at a concert to sing for New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoemember Michael Bivins. They sang an a cappella rendition of the New Edition song "Can You Stand the Rain." Bivins was impressed and agreed to help them get signed. Marc Nelson left the group not long before they started working on their debut album, allegedly due to personality differences. Boyz II Men became a quartet—with Michael McCary, Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman—that would soon find international fame. 114.    Early Career: Bivins helped produce Boyz II Men's first album, Cooleyhighharmony, on Motown Records in 1991. The new jack swing style was characteristic of Bell Biv DeVoe's music, but Boyz II Men's classic, soulful vocals offered something different that was eventually dubbed "hip hop doo wop." Since the very beginning, Boyz II Men has featured all members equally as lead vocalists, going against the typical R&B group set up of one lead singer/front man and a handful of nameless backups. Their arrangement became a sort of trademark for the group. Cooleyhighharmony was a major success, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and winning them a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The singles "Motownphilly" and "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" both became No. 1 R&B hits. 115.    Commercial Breakthrough: After their debut, they abandoned the new jack swing style to focus on creating a more mature, pop-infused sound. They released the wildly successful single "End of the Road" in 1992. The song spent a record-breaking 13 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the year's most popular song. Just like that, Boyz II Men has transformed from R&B up-and-comers to mainstream superstars. 116.    Legacy: Boyz II Men was instrumental in bringing R&B back to the mainstream, where it had not appeared since the '70s. With a staggering 60 million albums sold worldwide; they hold the distinction of being the best-selling R&B group of all time. For more than 20 years they have created a catalog of massively successful songs known for rich, smooth harmonies and timeless subject matter. 117.    Open Comments: 118.    Featured Artists #2: Jodeci, one of the premier '90s R&B acts, were a quartet notable for successfully marrying gospel-esque harmonization’s with a sexier-than-thou style.  Also, they were the first act that future hip-hop superstars Timbaland and Missy Elliott were involved with. 119.    Biography: Jodeci was an R&B group formed from two sets of two brothers, the Haileys and the DeGrates. All four of them were brought up in the Pentecostal church in North Carolina, the DeGrates' father was a minister. As young boys, they sang in gospel choirs which recorded albums and had their songs played on the radio, but they weren't destined to meet until they were teenagers. Their girlfriends introduced them. However, when they did meet, K-Ci was with a girl Dalvin had been dating, and a fight nearly broke out. The Hailey brothers and DeVante started hanging out together, partying and talking about making R&B records together, coming up with the name Jodeci at this time. At age 16, DeVante ran away to Minneapolis to get a job in Prince's organization but was refused. He returned to Charlotte, where he wrote a song and recorded JoJo singing it. The two planned on going to New York to shop the demo around by themselves, but both K-Ci and Dalvin decided to tag along at the last minute. By the time they got to New York, they had demo recordings of 29 songs, which they brought to the offices of Uptown Entertainment. They were almost rejected, but rapper Heavy D overheard the tape and talked Uptown president Andre Harrell into hearing the group. Harrell was impressed, and just like that, Jodeci signed a recording contract. In 1991, they recorded Forever My Lady, which featured the gold single "Come and Talk to Me" and went on to sell over three million copies. 120.    Jodeci Albums: 1991: Forever My Lady (3x platinum) / 1993: Diary of a Mad Band (2x platinum) / 1995: The Show, The After Party, The Hotel (platinum) 121.    Open Comments: 122.    Track vs Track Album Battle: Cooleyhighharmony vs Forever My Lady 123.    Movie Scene: John Singleton / Boyz In the Hood 124.    John Singleton’s 1991 feature film debut, Boyz n the Hood, garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. Singleton followed-up with Poetic Justice in 1993 and Higher Learning in 1995. Subsequent works include 1997's Rosewood, 2000's Shaft remake and 2001's Baby Boy. In 2005, he produced Hustle & Flow and directed Four Brothers. The filmmaker died on April 29, 2019, after suffering a stroke. 125.    Profile: He grew up in South Central Los Angeles and studied screenwriting at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts. During his four-year studies there, he won three writing awards. 126.    These achievements in writing earned Singleton a contract with the powerful Creative Artists Agency during his sophomore year at USC, and in May of 1990, his agent sent the script for Boyz N the Hood to Columbia pictures. The response was immediate: “I thought John’s script had a distinctive voice and great insight,” Frank Price, chairman of Columbia Pictures, said in an interview excerpted in the New York Times. “He’s not just a good writer, but he has enormous self-confidence and assurance. In fact, the last time I’d met someone that young with so much self-assurance was Steven Spielberg.” Columbia wanted to make the picture, but at first wanted someone else to direct it. Singleton believed only he could do it. “They asked me if I would consider anybody else directing it,” he recalled to Interview’s Steven Daly. “And I said, Hell, no, I’m not gonna let somebody from Idaho or Encino direct a movie about living in South Central Los Angeles. They can’t come in here and cast it and go through the rewrites and know exactly what aesthetics are unique to this film.” In 1991, Columbia Pictures bought his script for Boyz n the Hood and budgeted it at $7 million. The film portrayed life in crime-ridden South-Central L.A. and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director in 1991, making Singleton the first African American and the youngest person ever nominated for the award. The film also garnered a nomination for Best Original Screenplay. 127.    Legacy: Regina King, Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube, Nia Long, Angela Bassett, Morris Chestnut, Tyra Banks, Tyrese Gibson, Taraji P Henson 128.    Open Comments: 129.    Boyz In the Hood Summary: Follows the lives of three young males living in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles, dissecting questions of race, relationships, violence and prospects. 130.    Major Themes: (1) the power of family and black culture in the ghettos, (2) effects of capitalism to American citizens especially the Negros living in harsh environments, (3) the power of temptation and (4) more so juvenile and gang associated delinquencies that are usually influenced by peer and social pressure (5) gentrification, (6) living in a bad neighborhood, and (7) gangs. 131.    Question: What themes stood out for you? 132.    Television Scene: Roc (3 Seasons) Comedy, Sitcom 133.    Summary: Garbageman Roc Emerson and his wife shared their Baltimore home with his outspoken father and apathetic brother. In an unusual move, the sitcom's entire second season was performed live. Series star Charles S. Dutton won a 1993 NAACP Image Award for his portrayal of Roc. The show deals with real life issues such as gang violence, local politics, drugs, teens and sexually transmitted diseases. Roc reminded you of a typical family with normal problems such as parenting and dealing with live in relatives. The series gaining momentum in the last season could not make its presence felt on Tuesdays, the networks worst night for ratings. The struggle eventually led up to the series cancellation. 134.    Awards: 1992: GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comedy Episode, 1994: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Charles S. Dutton 135.    Question: Has anyone ever watched this? 136.    Vote: Most impactful item/event from 1991?

Topics: Rodney King, Boyz II Men / Jodeci, Boyz In the Hood, Roc - Sitcom (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco)

1991 General Snapshots 1.    President: George H. W. Bush 2.    January - Gulf War: The Congress of the United States passes a resolution authorizing the use of military force to liberate Kuwait. 5 days later, Operation Desert Storm begins with airstrikes against Iraq. 3.    January - Whitney Houstondelivers her now legendary rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" 4.    February - Gulf War: U.S. President George H. W. Bush announces that "Kuwait is liberated". 5.    February - Tim Meadows and Adam Sandler join the cast of NBC's Saturday Night Live. 6.    March - An amateur video captures the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles, California police officers. 7.    July - Boxer Mike Tyson is arrested and charged with raping Miss Black America contestant Desiree Washington in Indianapolis, Indiana. 8.    July - Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is arrested after the remains of eleven men and boys are found in his Milwaukee, Wisconsin apartment. Police soon find out that he is involved in six more murders. 9.    August - Nickelodeon introduces its series of Nicktoons, with Doug, Rugrats and The Ren & Stimpy Show the first three to air. 10.    August - The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is first released in the United States. 11.    October - The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee interviews both Supreme Court candidate Clarence Thomas and former aide Anita Hill, who alleges that Thomas sexually harassed her while she worked for him. 12.    October - Jennifer Lopez joins the cast as one of the Fly Girls on the Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color (she would leave the show after the next season). Other cast additions include future Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx. 13.    November - Los Angeles Lakers point guard Magic Johnson announces that he has HIV, effectively ending his NBA career. 14.    November - Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury dies from AIDS at 45 years old, one day after making his diagnosis public. 15.    December - The Cold War ends as President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev resigns and the Soviet Union dissolves. 16.    Open Comments 17.    Top 3 Pop Songs 18.    #1 - "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You", Bryan Adams 19.    #2 - "I Wanna Sex You Up", Color Me Badd 20.    #3 - "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)", C+C Music Factory 21.    Record of the Year: "Unforgettable" performed by Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole 22.    Album of the Year: Unforgettable... with Love performed by Natalie Cole 23.    Song of the Year: "Unforgettable" performed by Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole 24.    Best New Artist: Marc Cohn 25.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Lisa Fischer for "How Can I Ease the Pain" & Patti LaBelle for "Burnin'" 26.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: Luther Vandross for Power of Love 27.    Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Boyz II Men for "Cooleyhighharmony" 28.    Best Rhythm & Blues Song: "Power of Love/Love Power" performed by Luther Vandross 29.    Best Rap Solo Performance: LL Cool J for "Mama Said Knock You Out" 30.    Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince for "Summertime" 31.    Top 3 Movies 32.    #1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day     33.    #2. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves 34.    #3. Beauty and the Beast 35.    Notables: The Silence of the Lambs, New Jack City, The Five Heartbeats, A Rage in Harlem, Thelma & Louise, Jungle Fever, Point Break, and House Party 2 36.    Top 3 TV Shows 37.    #1 60 Minutes 38.    #2 Roseanne 39.    #3 Murphy Brown 40.    Mea Culpa: Family Matters originated 9/22/1989 on ABC 41.    Notables: The Party Machine with Nia Peeples, The Jerry Springer Show, The Montel Williams Show, Hammerman, & Roc. 42.    Economic Snapshots 43.    Avg. Income: 29.9k (29K) 44.    New Home: 120k (previously 123K) 45.    Avg Rent: 495 (465) 46.    New Car: 16.8k (16K) 47.    Harvard: 14.5k (13.5k) 48.    Movie Ticket: 4.25 (3.50) 49.    Gas: 1.12 (1.34) 50.    Stamp: .25 (.25) 51.    Social Scene: Police Beating of Rodney King 52.    Early Life: Rodney King (@ 26 yrs. old), born in Sacramento, CA, was an American taxi driver who is best known for the 1991 police beatings and the 1992 riots as a result of the officers’ trial. 53.    Prior Record: In 1987, he pleaded no contest to a charge of battery. In 1989, King was imprisoned for robbery after robbing a store; he served one year of a two-year sentence. 54.    1991 Arrest: Rodney King attempted to outrun a police patrol car in March 1991. King had been drinking and feared he would be over the limit, driving under the influence charge would have seen King return to jail. King refused to pull over for the police and a high-speed chase ensued. Eventually, King was cornered, and he and the other occupants of the car were ordered to leave the vehicle and lie face down on the ground. King refused and was forcibly removed from the car. While on the ground the police beat and abused the three men. The Los Angeles Police Department then arrived on the scene; the original officers on the scene had been highway patrol. Rodney King resisted arrest and was tasered. King was then viciously beaten repeatedly while on the ground by police wielding batons. King continually attempted to stand up only to be met with a further hail of baton blows from the four police officers. King suffered from thirty-three baton blows and six kicks before having his arms and legs cuffed. Eight officers were involved in his arrest. George Halliday, a man who lived near the sight of the arrest, had filmed the arrest from the time that King was tasered. Halliday contacted the LAPD about his videotape, but the police department showed no interest in the footage. Halliday next presented the footage to a local TV station which aired the footage. It caused a sensation across the media. The footage made Rodney King’s arrest a lightning rod for a more comprehensive discussion about police brutality against minorities. 55.    Legal Proceedings: Rodney King had suffered facial fractures, lacerations and a broken ankle from his arrest. The city awarded King damages amounting to 3.8 million dollars as well as covering his legal costs which totaled to close to two million dollars. He was also not charged with drink driving or evading arrest due to the time between the incident and the start of legal proceedings. Four LAPD officers were charged with using excessive force. The legal case against the officers was mired in controversy from the start as the initial judge, Bernard Kamins was removed, and the trial received a change of venue. Warren Christopher also began a commission to investigate accusations of police discrimination. Three of the officers charged were acquitted, and the fourth faced a no verdict. The court’s decision shocked the nation. The mayor of Los Angeles, Tom Bradley, and the President of the United States of America, George Bush, both declared they could not understand the verdict and condemned the officers involved. Many African Americans considered the trial a whitewash and were incensed. Following the 1992 Riots, the officers were tried in a federal court, and two were found guilty and sentenced to thirty months in prison. 56.    Rodney King Riots: Following the court's verdict and the release of the officers, widespread civil unrest erupted in North America. The worst of the rioting was confined to LA, but Las Vegas, San Francisco, Atlanta and even Toronto in Canada experienced violence. The 1992 LA Riots became known as the Rodney King Riots due to their link to the court case. King appeared on TV during the riots to appeal for calm. Before the verdict was announced the police, force had been expecting trouble, money for overtime and a delay in the reading of the verdict were granted to give police time to prepare. Rioting started at a liquor store in Normandie. LAPD officers attempted to make an arrest a hostile crowd surrounded them and forced them to retreat. TV coverage of the violence encouraged more people to take to the streets, and the police communications proved wholly inadequate to deal with the spread of the violence. The rioters began destroying property and attacking people going about their business. Over a thousand firearms were looted, and some fires were started as night set in. The riots spread throughout the city and emergency workers came under gunfire as they attempted to tackle the fires and help the wounded. A curfew was declared, and the National Guard began deploying. Despite this the second day of looting and arson took place. Rioting spread to Hollywood, Inglewood, Long Beach and Compton. Police was criticized for focusing their attention on defending the wealthier areas of LA such as Beverley Hills. Other minority neighborhoods were forced to form militias to protect their property. Korean shopkeepers were involved in a shoot-out with rioters in Koreatown. On the third day of rioting, the Federal government took direct control of all military in the area and began overseeing the response to the riots. Troops and police officers from other regions of California started pouring into the city. On the fourth day, over thirteen thousand soldiers were deployed on the streets of LA, and the rioting was slowly quelled. The riot was spread over six days, but troops remained in the area for weeks afterward. Fifty-five people died during the riots and over two thousand hospitalized. A billion dollars’ worth of damage had been done; the worst affected were the Korean community. Eleven thousand people were arrested during the rioting, but because of the sheer volume of prisoners, police were unable to prosecute the majority. 57.    King After the Riots: Rodney King continued to have run-ins with the law and was sometimes arrested after the 1992 Riots. In 2007, King was shot in an attempted robbery. King appeared in a reality TV show, Sober House, which covered celebrities in rehab. 2012 saw King publish his memoirs, The Riot Within: My Journey from Rebellion to Redemption. Rodney King fathered a daughter with Carmen Simpson when they were both teenagers. In 1985, he married Daneta Lyles, and they had a daughter together. The pair divorced in 1988. King then married Crystal Waters, with whom he also had a daughter. They divorced in 1996. King had been arrested for assaulting both his wives. In 2010, King began living with Cynthia Kelly, and it was she who found him in the swimming pool on 17 June 2012. King was pronounced dead by medical staff, and plenty of drugs and alcohol were found in his system. 58.    The King beating began a wave of reforms for the Los Angeles Police Department, including tighter rules on when officers can use force, more minority officers, and stricter term limits for police chiefs. 59.    Question: What is the lesson to be learned? 60.    Question: What do we teach the children about dealing with cops? 61.    Top Black Songs from the top 40 62.    #2 - "I Wanna Sex You Up", Color Me Badd 63.    #3 - "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)", C+C Music Factory 64.    #4 - "Rush Rush", Paula Abdul 65.    #8 - "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)", Hi-Five 66.    #9 - "The First Time", Surface 67.    #11 - "Motownphilly", Boyz II Men 68.    #12 - "Because I Love You (The Postman Song)", Stevie B 69.    #13 - "Someday", Mariah Carey 70.    #16 - "All the Man That I Need", Whitney Houston 71.    #18 - "I Adore Mi Amor"    , Color Me Badd 72.    #19 - "Love Will Never Do (Without You)", Janet Jackson 73.    #20 - "Good Vibrations", Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch 74.    #21 - "Justify My Love", Madonna 75.    #22 - "Emotions", Mariah Carey 76.    #24 - "Romantic", Karyn White 77.    #25 - "Hold You Tight", Tara Kemp 78.    #26 - "I Don't Wanna Cry", Mariah Carey 79.    #28 - "Every Heartbeat", Amy Grant 80.    #29 - "Sensitivity", Ralph Tresvant 81.    #30 - "Touch Me (All Night Long)", Cathy Dennis 82.    #31 - "I've Been Thinking About You", Londonbeat 83.    #32 - "Do Anything", Natural Selection 84.    #34 - "Coming Out of the Dark", Gloria Estefan 85.    #35 - "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over", Lenny Kravitz 86.    #36 - "Here We Go", C+C Music Factory 87.    #38 - "Summertime", DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince 88.    #40 - "P.A.S.S.I.O.N.", Rythm Syndicate 89.    Vote: 90.    Top R&B Albums 91.    Jan - I'm Your Baby Tonight - Whitney Houston 92.    Feb - The Future - Guy 93.    Feb - Do Me Again - Freddie Jackson 94.    Mar - Business as Usual - EPMD 95.    Apr - Ralph Tresvant - Ralph Tresvant 96.    Apr - Hi-Five - Hi-Five 97.    Apr - New Jack City - Soundtrack / Various artists 98.    Jun - Power of Love - Luther Vandross 99.    Jul - Make Time for Love - Keith Washington 100.    Aug - Jungle Fever - Soundtrack / Stevie Wonder 101.    Aug - Cooleyhighharmony - Boyz II Men 102.    Sep - Boyz n the Hood - Soundtrack / Various artists 103.    Oct - Can You Stop the Rain - Peabo Bryson 104.    Oct - Good Woman - Gladys Knight 105.    Oct - Different Lifestyles - BeBe & CeCe Winans 106.    Nov - As Raw As Ever - Shabba Ranks 107.    Nov - Forever My Lady - Jodeci 108.    Nov - Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black - Public Enemy 109.    Dec - Diamonds and Pearls - Prince and The New Power Generation 110.    Dec - Death Certificate - Ice Cube 111.    Vote: 112.    Featured Artists #1: Boyz II Men is the most commercially successful R&B group of all time. They've sold millions of records and produced three of the longest-running No. 1 pop singles in music history. The pioneering R&B group is known for their flawless blend of four-part harmonies, and their influence is still felt to this day. 113.    Formation: Boyz II Men formed in 1988 at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts. Nathan Morris and Marc Nelson founded the group, originally known as Unique Attraction. Other members came and went due to graduation, but Morris and Nelson eventually met Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockmanand Michael McCary, and the group stabilized. They took inspiration from the popular R&B group New Edition and renamed themselves Boyz II Men after their song "Boys to Men." They got their big break in 1989 when they snuck backstage at a concert to sing for New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoemember Michael Bivins. They sang an a cappella rendition of the New Edition song "Can You Stand the Rain." Bivins was impressed and agreed to help them get signed. Marc Nelson left the group not long before they started working on their debut album, allegedly due to personality differences. Boyz II Men became a quartet—with Michael McCary, Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman—that would soon find international fame. 114.    Early Career: Bivins helped produce Boyz II Men's first album, Cooleyhighharmony, on Motown Records in 1991. The new jack swing style was characteristic of Bell Biv DeVoe's music, but Boyz II Men's classic, soulful vocals offered something different that was eventually dubbed "hip hop doo wop." Since the very beginning, Boyz II Men has featured all members equally as lead vocalists, going against the typical R&B group set up of one lead singer/front man and a handful of nameless backups. Their arrangement became a sort of trademark for the group. Cooleyhighharmony was a major success, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and winning them a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The singles "Motownphilly" and "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" both became No. 1 R&B hits. 115.    Commercial Breakthrough: After their debut, they abandoned the new jack swing style to focus on creating a more mature, pop-infused sound. They released the wildly successful single "End of the Road" in 1992. The song spent a record-breaking 13 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the year's most popular song. Just like that, Boyz II Men has transformed from R&B up-and-comers to mainstream superstars. 116.    Legacy: Boyz II Men was instrumental in bringing R&B back to the mainstream, where it had not appeared since the '70s. With a staggering 60 million albums sold worldwide; they hold the distinction of being the best-selling R&B group of all time. For more than 20 years they have created a catalog of massively successful songs known for rich, smooth harmonies and timeless subject matter. 117.    Open Comments: 118.    Featured Artists #2: Jodeci, one of the premier '90s R&B acts, were a quartet notable for successfully marrying gospel-esque harmonization’s with a sexier-than-thou style.  Also, they were the first act that future hip-hop superstars Timbaland and Missy Elliott were involved with. 119.    Biography: Jodeci was an R&B group formed from two sets of two brothers, the Haileys and the DeGrates. All four of them were brought up in the Pentecostal church in North Carolina, the DeGrates' father was a minister. As young boys, they sang in gospel choirs which recorded albums and had their songs played on the radio, but they weren't destined to meet until they were teenagers. Their girlfriends introduced them. However, when they did meet, K-Ci was with a girl Dalvin had been dating, and a fight nearly broke out. The Hailey brothers and DeVante started hanging out together, partying and talking about making R&B records together, coming up with the name Jodeci at this time. At age 16, DeVante ran away to Minneapolis to get a job in Prince's organization but was refused. He returned to Charlotte, where he wrote a song and recorded JoJo singing it. The two planned on going to New York to shop the demo around by themselves, but both K-Ci and Dalvin decided to tag along at the last minute. By the time they got to New York, they had demo recordings of 29 songs, which they brought to the offices of Uptown Entertainment. They were almost rejected, but rapper Heavy D overheard the tape and talked Uptown president Andre Harrell into hearing the group. Harrell was impressed, and just like that, Jodeci signed a recording contract. In 1991, they recorded Forever My Lady, which featured the gold single "Come and Talk to Me" and went on to sell over three million copies. 120.    Jodeci Albums: 1991: Forever My Lady (3x platinum) / 1993: Diary of a Mad Band (2x platinum) / 1995: The Show, The After Party, The Hotel (platinum) 121.    Open Comments: 122.    Track vs Track Album Battle: Cooleyhighharmony vs Forever My Lady 123.    Movie Scene: John Singleton / Boyz In the Hood 124.    John Singleton’s 1991 feature film debut, Boyz n the Hood, garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. Singleton followed-up with Poetic Justice in 1993 and Higher Learning in 1995. Subsequent works include 1997's Rosewood, 2000's Shaft remake and 2001's Baby Boy. In 2005, he produced Hustle & Flow and directed Four Brothers. The filmmaker died on April 29, 2019, after suffering a stroke. 125.    Profile: He grew up in South Central Los Angeles and studied screenwriting at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts. During his four-year studies there, he won three writing awards. 126.    These achievements in writing earned Singleton a contract with the powerful Creative Artists Agency during his sophomore year at USC, and in May of 1990, his agent sent the script for Boyz N the Hood to Columbia pictures. The response was immediate: “I thought John’s script had a distinctive voice and great insight,” Frank Price, chairman of Columbia Pictures, said in an interview excerpted in the New York Times. “He’s not just a good writer, but he has enormous self-confidence and assurance. In fact, the last time I’d met someone that young with so much self-assurance was Steven Spielberg.” Columbia wanted to make the picture, but at first wanted someone else to direct it. Singleton believed only he could do it. “They asked me if I would consider anybody else directing it,” he recalled to Interview’s Steven Daly. “And I said, Hell, no, I’m not gonna let somebody from Idaho or Encino direct a movie about living in South Central Los Angeles. They can’t come in here and cast it and go through the rewrites and know exactly what aesthetics are unique to this film.” In 1991, Columbia Pictures bought his script for Boyz n the Hood and budgeted it at $7 million. The film portrayed life in crime-ridden South-Central L.A. and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director in 1991, making Singleton the first African American and the youngest person ever nominated for the award. The film also garnered a nomination for Best Original Screenplay. 127.    Legacy: Regina King, Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube, Nia Long, Angela Bassett, Morris Chestnut, Tyra Banks, Tyrese Gibson, Taraji P Henson 128.    Open Comments: 129.    Boyz In the Hood Summary: Follows the lives of three young males living in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles, dissecting questions of race, relationships, violence and prospects. 130.    Major Themes: (1) the power of family and black culture in the ghettos, (2) effects of capitalism to American citizens especially the Negros living in harsh environments, (3) the power of temptation and (4) more so juvenile and gang associated delinquencies that are usually influenced by peer and social pressure (5) gentrification, (6) living in a bad neighborhood, and (7) gangs. 131.    Question: What themes stood out for you? 132.    Television Scene: Roc (3 Seasons) Comedy, Sitcom 133.    Summary: Garbageman Roc Emerson and his wife shared their Baltimore home with his outspoken father and apathetic brother. In an unusual move, the sitcom's entire second season was performed live. Series star Charles S. Dutton won a 1993 NAACP Image Award for his portrayal of Roc. The show deals with real life issues such as gang violence, local politics, drugs, teens and sexually transmitted diseases. Roc reminded you of a typical family with normal problems such as parenting and dealing with live in relatives. The series gaining momentum in the last season could not make its presence felt on Tuesdays, the networks worst night for ratings. The struggle eventually led up to the series cancellation. 134.    Awards: 1992: GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comedy Episode, 1994: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Charles S. Dutton 135.    Question: Has anyone ever watched this? 136.    Vote: Most impactful item/event from 1991?

Topics: 80's Tech, MC Hammer, Do The Right Thing, The Arsenio Hall Show (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco)

1989 Notes 1. General Snapshots 2. George Bush Sr. President 3. Feb - Barbara Harris is the first woman (and first black woman) consecrated as a bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. 4. Mar - Exxon Valdez oil spill: In Alaska's Prince William Sound the Exxon Valdez spills 240,000 barrels (38,000 m3) of oil after running aground. 5. Apr - Bill White becomes president of baseball's National League, becoming the first African American to head a major sports league. 6. Apr - Trisha Meili is attacked while jogging in New York City's Central Park; as her identity remains secret for years, she becomes known as the "Central Park Jogger." 7. May - President Bush vetoes a minimum-wage bill passed by Congress on May 17 that would have increased the minimum wage to $4.55 an hour. 8. Jun - In Texas v. Johnson, the United States Supreme Court ruled that burning the Flag of the United States was protected speech under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. 9. Jun - In Penry v. Lynaugh, the Supreme Court rules that states can execute murderers as young as 16 or who are mentally retarded. 10. Jul - In Webster v. Reproductive Health Services, the Supreme Court gives the state’s new authority to restrict abortions. 11. Aug - President Bush nominates United States Army Gen. Colin Powell as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, making him the first African American to hold that position. 12. Aug - Hughey P. Newton was murdered in Oakland, California by Tyrone Robinson, a member of the Black Guerrilla Family. 13. Aug - Yusef Hawkins is shot in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, New York, sparking racial tensions between African Americans and Italian Americans. 14. Nov - Douglas Wilder wins the Virginia governor's race, becoming the first elected African American governor in the United States. 15. Nov - David Dinkins becomes the first African American mayor of New York City. 16. Nov - Congress passes legislation to raise the minimum wage from $3.35 to $4.25 an hour by April 1991. Bush signs this bill on November 17. 17. Nov - Clarence Page 1989 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary 18. Nov - Denzel Washington: First African American actor to receive two Best Supporting Actor nominations. Cry Freedom / Glory (Won) 19. Misc.: Ron Brown is elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee, becoming the first African American to lead a major United States political party. 20. Misc.: The first of 24 Global Positioning System satellites is placed into orbit. 21. Open Comments: 22. Top 3 Pop Songs 23. #1 "Look Away" Chicago 24. #2 "My Prerogative" Bobby Brown 25. #3 "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" Poison 26. Record of the Year: Bette Midler for "Wind Beneath My Wings" 27. Album of the Year: Bonnie Raitt for Nick of Time 28. Song of the Year: "Wind Beneath My Wings" performed by Bette Midler 29. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Anita Baker for "Giving You the Best That I Got" 30. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: Bobby Brown for "Every Little Step" 31. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Soul II Soul & Caron Wheeler for "Back to Life" 32. Best Rhythm & Blues Song: "If You Don't Know Me By Now" performed by Simply Red 33. Best Rap Performance: Young MC for "Bust a Move" 34. Open Comments 35. Top Movies 36. #1 - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 37. #2 Batman 38. #3 Back to the Future Part II 39. Other Notables: Look Who's Talking, Dead Poets Society, Lethal Weapon 2, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Disney, Ghostbusters II, The Little Mermaid Disney, Born on the Fourth of July, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Lean on Me, Field of Dreams, Weekend at Bernie's, When Harry Met Sally..., Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Harlem Nights, The War of the Roses, Steel Magnolias, Glory, and Driving Miss Daisy*. 40. Top 3 TV Shows 41. #1 - The Cosby Show 42. #2 - Roseanne 43. #3 - Cheers 44. Debuts: Saved by the Bell, American Gladiators, Doogie Howser, M.D., Baywatch, America's Funniest Home Videos, COPS, Seinfeld, and The Simpsons 45. Economic Snapshot: 46. New Home: 120K - previously 91,777 47. Avg Rent: 425 - p. 420 48. Avg. Income: 37K - p. 24k 49. New Car: 15K - p. 10,432 50. Harvard: 12,700 - p. 12,015 51. Movie Ticket: 3.50 - same 52. Gas: .97 - p. .91 53. Stamp: .25 - same 54. Social Scene: Top Tech of The 80’s 55. Mobile Tech 56. Sony Walkman: Before the iPod effectively killed off an entire industry, the Sony Walkman was the original, must-have portable cassette player. Unlike portable radio players, the Japan-made Walkman allowed people to choose what to listen to via portable headphones, and make playlists on tape, alongside FM and AM radio frequencies. Like with Texas Instrument’s Speak and Spell, the first model hit shelves in the late 1970s, but it rose to prominence during the two decades that followed. So ubiquitous it became that the word Walkman even entered the English dictionary in 1986. The model pictured is the WM-F77. 57. Nokia-Mobira Cityman 900: These days, the mobile phone is so far advanced we barely even call it a mobile phone any more, but back in the '80s the sheer thought of carrying a phone any further than the length of a coiled plastic chord seemed fantasy at best. Then along came a handful of firms, including a certain Finnish outfit by the name of Nokia-Mobira and made portable phone calls an actual reality. Looking back the sheer size of it is almost laughable (18cm high and 760g in weight to be precise), but it was practically lightweight compared to the colossal Talkman, which weighed in at shocking 5.5kg! Still, it put Nokia on the map and set the stage for the firm's dominance to come in the late '90 and early '00s. 58. The Boombox: Much like the VHS player, the humble Boombox was more of a collective movement than the work of one particular model, but it still became one of the most iconic devices of the late '80s. Again, to keep things on message with this feature, the classic Boombox wasn't just a powerful all-in-one music player (with AM/FM radio and multiple cassette decks) it was also a portable music player (if you were willing to lug it around). While its size and battery-powered portability eventually saw it go the way of the dodo in and around the mid '90s, the 'ghetto blaster' became intertwined with the rise of hip hop in the States and secured itself a place in the annals of gadget lore. 59. Sharp pocket computer: The 1980s was the decade of the microprocessor, led by the likes of Sharp and its range of pocket computers. These gadgets resembled calculators but worked in a similar way to how we use keyboards on modern-day PCs and laptops. Below a 24-digit dot matrix LCD display sat a full QWERTY-style keyboard you could use to program BASIC code. The computer’s battery was said to last 200 hours and it even came with a connector that let you attach a printer or tape drive. 60. Epson ET-10 Pocket TV: If you haven't already twigged, there's a bit of a pattern forming with this feature - good ol' portability. From music on the move to phone calls away from home, handheld technology helped define the decade and every single one that's followed. And so, it was the turn of the humble TV, already shrinking as a regular set, to get the micro treatment. The ET-10 from Epson was one of the first, and the most popular, with its two-inch liquid crystal display offering proper TV viewing while out and about (and in a decent spot to catch the analogue signal). With a five-hour battery, the ET-10 was a proper little dynamo and foreshadowed the portable TV experience we take for granted now with tablets and smartphones. 61. Casio Databank: It’s a testament to just how cool and iconic the Casio Databank watches became - they’re still sold in various models and designs today. One of the original models of this calculator watch, the gold version of the DBC 610 (pictured), was first released in 1985 and later re-released due to popular demand. The designs of these modern versions have barely deviated from the original and still feature a membrane keyboard, with Mode and Adjust physical buttons on the side. 62. Gaming Tech 63. Nintendo Entertainment System: Another iconic Japanese import of the 1980s was the Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES. A remodeled version of the company’s Family Computer, or Famicom, the 8-bit NES was originally designed to be a joint venture between Nintendo and Atari until a dispute over licensing meant Nintendo decided to go it alone. It helped lift the gaming industry out of the slump of 1983 by offering easier-to-use controllers, standardized graphics and a wider variety of game genres. It brought hugely popular arcade games, including Donkey Kong, to home TVs. 64. Nintendo Game Boy: Fresh off the success of its Nintendo Entertainment System, the Japanese giant launched a handheld version of is 8-bit console called the Nintendo Game Boy in 1989. It effectively used the same A and B controls and D pad seen on the NES, positioned below a 4.7cm x 4.3xm “pea soup” green LCD display. Using ROM cartridges also similar in design to those used on the NES, these games could be inserted and removed on the back of the device. The Game Boy ran on four AA batteries and was an incredibly robust console, making it a popular choice among kids. The Game Boy and its successor the Game Boy Color have sold in excess of 118 million units and spawned several later models, namely the Game Boy Lite and Game Boy Advance. 65. Simon: Another classic from the 1980s that is still sold today is the Simon game. Named after the Simon Says game, the toy’s premise is simple – the colored panels light up and you must repeat the pattern and tones it creates. Yet despite this simple gameplay, it was a great feat of engineering at the time of release in 1978 and became a pop culture icon during the 1980s. 66. Speak and Spell: One of the world’s first handheld PCs and gaming consoles, the educational Speak and Spell from Texas Instruments was unveiled during the 1978 Consumer Electronic Shows. Its visual display was among the first of its kind and it used interchangeable cartridges to let children play different games, aimed at helping to improve their spelling and vocabulary. It became one of the iconic toys of the 1980s until its final model was released in 1992, and its use of the first single-chip microcontroller and speech synthesizer paved the way for many of the gadgets we use today. 67. Social Media Tech 68. Polaroid Sun AF 660: Polaroid cameras have seen a resurgence of late, thanks in part to the release of a classic-looking digital model called One Step Plus. Yet the original designs, such as the Polaroid Autofocus Lightmixer 660 pictured, can still be found on auction sites selling for decent sums. Part of the Polaroid 600 series, the Autofocus 660 (also known as the AF 660) had an 116mm lens and was the first in the range to use Polaroid's patented Sonar Autofocus technology. This system used sensors to establish how far away a subject was, using sonar pulses, to achieve an accurate autofocus shot. 69. Computing Tech 70. Apple Macintosh 128K: Long before Steve Jobs debuted the iPhone on stage in Cupertino in 2007, his company specialized in personal computers. The first of which was known as the Apple Macintosh. It was later renamed the Macintosh 128K to differentiate it from its successor, the Macintosh 512K. Released to great fanfare in 1984, Alien director Ridley Scott created the now-infamous advert for the computer, broadcast during that year’s Superbowl. The Macintosh 128K got its name by the fact it ran on 128K of RAM. It had a 9in CRT monitor, single-sided floppy disk drive and featured a handle on the top that meant it could be moved from place to place. 71. Smart Home Tech 72. The Clapper: Sadly not every gadget that came out of the '80s set the precedent for a bloodline of tech to come, but hey, there's something pretty satisfying about clapping your hands (or whichever body parts you preferred using) to turn off a lamp. Plugging into a power socket in your wall, the Clapper was basically a sound activated on/off switch that could link up to devices for hours of clap-controlled hilarity. It didn't work that great and was prone to being set off by anything from coughs to dog barks. Still, it looked good in the movies, right? 73. VHS player/VCR recorder: Okay, with so many different players that helped make VHS the preferred video format in the '80s (sorry BetaMax), it's hard to nail down particular model that made all the difference, but it just goes to prove how influential those chunky video cassettes became in the '80s and '90s. From Panasonic to JVC, all the big and aspiring electronics giants had their own player and future fortunes were made as the home video entertainment market boomed. Now you could buy films and watch them in the comfort of your home own home. More importantly, you could eventually record TV content as well. Grainy compilations of Red Dwarf and Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles? Yes please! 74. Only thing missing was the internet 75. Open Comments: 76. Music Scene: 77. Top Black songs from Billboard Top 40 Chart 78. #2 "My Prerogative" Bobby Brown 79. #4 "Straight Up" Paula Abdul 80. #5 "Miss You Much" Janet Jackson 81. #6 "Cold Hearted" Paula Abdul 82. #8 "Girl You Know It's True" Milli Vanilli 83. #10 "Giving You the Best That I Got" Anita Baker 84. #14 "Don't Wanna Lose You" Gloria Estefan 85. #16 "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You" Milli Vanilli 86. #19 "On Our Own" Bobby Brown 87. #21 "Blame It on the Rain" Milli Vanilli 88. #25 "Like a Prayer" Madonna 89. #28 "Baby Don't Forget My Number" Milli Vanilli 90. #30 "Forever Your Girl" Paula Abdul 91. #33 "Wild Thing" Tone Lōc 92. #36 "Buffalo Stance" Neneh Cherry 93. #46 "Real Love" Jody Watley 94. Vote: 95. Top RnB Albums 96. Jan - Giving You the Best That I Got, Anita Baker 97. Jan - Karyn White, Karyn White 98. Mar - Don't Be Cruel, Bobby Brown 99. Apr - Let's Get It Started, MC Hammer 100. Apr – Guy, Guy 101. May - The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, Slick Rick 102. May - Feet High and Rising, De La Soul 103. Jul - Walking with a Panther, LL Cool J 104. Aug - Big Tyme, Heavy D and the Boyz 105. Sep - 2 Keep On Movin', Soul II Soul 106. Sep - Unfinished Business, EPMD 107. Sep - No One Can Do It Better, The D.O.C. 108. Oct - Tender Lover, Babyface 109. Nov - Silky Soul, Frankie Beverly and Maze 110. Nov - Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814, Janet Jackson 111. Dec - Stay with Me Regina Belle 112. Vote: 113. Featured Artist: MC Hammer, Stanley Kirk Burrell (@27 Yrs. old) 114. Childhood & Early Life: Born and raised in Oakland, California. He was the youngest of his 6 siblings and lived in a government housing project apartment in East Oakland. His father, Lewis Burrell, worked as warehouse supervisor while his mother was a secretary. Interested in baseball from his early boyhood, he spent time around the ‘Oakland Coliseum’ and entertained by dancing during the breaks. ‘Oakland Athletics’ owner, Charles Finley, watched him perform in the Coliseum’s parking lot and hired the 11-year Burrell as ‘batboy.’ Burrell’s resemblance to the baseball player ‘Hammerin’ Hank Aaron earned him the nick-name ‘Hammer.’ The ‘MC’ part came from ‘Master of Ceremonies’ as he performed at various clubs while on the road with A’s. He played baseball (second base) during high school years and wished to be a professional player but was not selected. After high school, he enlisted for US Navy and served as aviation storekeeper for 3 years. 115. Career: After being honorably discharged from the US Navy, Hammer began playing in clubs and formed ‘Holy Ghost Boys,’ a Christian rap music group with Jon Gibson. One of their songs, ‘The Wall,’ became a hit. Two former A’s player, Mike Davis and Dwayne Murphy, helped him financially to start his own record label, ‘Bust It Records.’ Hammer released his debut album, ‘Feel My Power,’ through his own label, ‘Oakland Records,’ in 1987, and the album sold over 60,000 copies. He released a single, ‘Ring ‘Em,’ and marketed it on his own. Hammer formed a troupe with dancers, musicians and vocalist, and presented stage shows and live shows at clubs. Through his album and one of his live acts, he earned a multi-album deal with the ‘Capitol Records’ in 1988. His first album through ‘Capitol,’ was the 1989 album, ‘Let’s Get It Started,’ a revised version of ‘Feel My Power.’ With its charted numbers, ‘Turn This Mutha Out,’ ‘Let’s Get it Started,’ ‘They Put Me in the Mix’ among others, the album sold more than 2 million copies and was certified double platinum. 116. Hammer toured around with his live show promoting the album and installed a recording studio at the back of this tour bus, where he recorded songs. His next album, ‘Please, Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em,’ was brought out on February 12, 1990. The single, ‘U Can’t Touch This,’ from this album proved most successful and is considered as his signature song. 117. He was a part of many TV shows and films, including cartoon-show, ‘Hammerman,’ ‘Saturday Night Live,’ ‘The Right Connections,’ ‘Deadly Rhapsody,’ ‘The Surreal Life,’ among many others. He appeared as a dance judge on the show, ‘Dance Fever’ (2003). ‘Hammertime’ (2009) was his reality TV series on ‘A&E Network,’ which dealt with his daily life. Hammer established ‘Oakland Stable’ in 1991 for thoroughbred horses. He was also involved with various business ventures from clothing lines, to tech start-up and product endorsements. Hammer sported a lavish lifestyle with a huge mansion at Fremont, California, sprawling estate and luxury cars. He also spent a large amount of money on his stage shows, staff, and relatives. With $13 million in debt, he filed for bankruptcy in 1996. In 1997, he turned to faith and became a preacher with a Christian Ministry TV show. 118. Open Comments: 119. Question: Would you rather flame out spectacularly like Hammer or low-key longevity? 120. Movie Scene: Do The Right Thing, Spike Lee 121. Breakdown: by Walker Valdez - “The film…focuses on a single day of the lives of racially diverse people who live and work in a lower-class neighborhood in Brooklyn New York. However, this ordinary day takes place on one of the hottest days of the summer. The film centers on how social class, race and the moral decisions that the characters make have a direct effect on the way people interact with each other. It starts with the film’s characters waking up to start their day and climaxes with a neighborhood riot after police officers excessively restrain and kill a young black man named Radio Raheem for fighting an older Italian American restaurant owner named Sal in his pizzeria, and then outside on the street. The film, although released in 1989, with its social commentary on the effect that race has on police brutality is just as relevant today as when it was released 26 years ago. 122. Cast was bananas! 123. Negative Review - David Denby, then writing for New York, also predicted a dire outcome…He accused Lee of creating "the dramatic structure that primes black people to cheer the explosion as an act of revenge," and concluded, “The end of this movie is shambles, and if some audiences go wild, he's partly responsible." 124. The same notion crept into Joe Klein's editorial in the same issue of New York, in which he surmised as to the film's possible political effect on David Dinkins's mayoral campaign. He wrote: "Dinkins will also have to pay the price for Spike Lee's reckless new movie about a summer race riot in Brooklyn" 125. Speaking about the reviews more than 10 years later, Lee was still livid: "What the fuck is that?... What he's saying is, 'Pray to God that this film doesn't open in your theater, (because) niggers are gonna go crazy.'" Lee points out that white audiences aren't presumed to "go crazy" over far more violent action films, "but we're such mental midgets that we can't tell the difference between what's on screen and what's in real life?" 126. Positive Review - Roger Ebert: “I have been given only a few filmgoing experiences in my life to equal the first time I saw “Do the Right Thing.” Most movies remain up there on the screen. Only a few penetrate your soul. In May of 1989 I walked out of the screening at the Cannes Film Festival with tears in my eyes. Spike Lee had done an almost impossible thing. He'd made a movie about race in America that empathized with all the participants. He didn't draw lines or take sides but simply looked with sadness at one racial flashpoint that stood for many others.” 127. Question: What is the right thing to do in the face of systemic social injustice? 128. TV Scene: The Arsenio Hall Show 129. Arsenio Hall (@ 33 yrs. old) is a famous American comedian, actor and talk show host who gained his fame from the show ‘The Arsenio Hall Show’ that aired from the year 1989 to 1994 and 2013 to 2014. Born and raised in Cleveland, as a child, Arsenio used to perform magic tricks. He joined and graduated from Warrensville Heights High School and later pursued his higher education from Kent State University. 130. Early Profession and Career: “Arsenio was a passionate and determined child from childhood and wanted to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. During his early career days, he went to Los Angeles to pursue a career in comedy. He has appeared on Thicke of the Night as an announcer, besides, Alan Thicke. Arsenio appeared on numerous talk shows which made him popular among the audiences. However, he reached in a prominent place in the talk show genre when he got an opportunity to host his own show ‘The Arsenio Hall Show.’ The late-night show was a hit. 131. Where did he come from? 132. Open Comments: 133. Question: Where do you go nowadays to tap into black culture? 134. Vote: Best/most important/favorite pop culture item from 1989?

Topics: Gangs, Keith Sweat, Al. B. Sure!, Bobby Brown, Coming to America, A Different World (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound)

Topics: Chicago Bears, Janet Jackson, Anita Baker, She's Gotta Have It, 227-(TV Sitcom)(Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound)

Topics: Air Jordans, Whitney Houston, Sade, The Color Purple, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Phylicia Rashad (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco)

Topics: Air Jordans, Whitney Houston, Sade, The Color Purple, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Phylicia Rashad (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco)

Topics: 1984 Olympics, Prince, Purple Rain (LP/Film), Cosby Show. (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound)

1984 Notes

General Snapshots

1. President: Ronald Reagan

2. Jan - US Bell System is broken up Bell System divestiture breaks AT&T into 24 independent units.

3. Jan - Wendy's "Fluffy Bun" advertisement is first broadcast, which gains Clara Peller and her "Where's the beef?" catchphrase national fame.

4. Jan - Michael Jackson's hair catches on fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial. Michael Jackson stars in a Pepsi commercial with a young Alfonso Ribeiro, a.k.a Carlton from “The Fresh Prince.”

5. Feb - Michael Jackson wins a record eight Grammy Awards. [Prince was in the audience]

6. May - Happy Days airs its series finale, "Passages".

7. Jun – Best ever NBA draft: (1) Hakeem Olajuwon, (3) Michael Jordan, (5) Charles Barkley, and (16) John Stockton. [Sam Bowie 2nd pick]

8. Jun - Sally Ride becomes first American woman in space on the Space Shuttle Challenger.

9. Jul - The Motion Picture Association of America institutes the PG-13 rating, as a response to violent horror films such as Gremlins and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. [Parental Advisory sticker for albums coming next year because of Darling Nikki by Prince]

10. Jul - ABC begins their coverage of the Summer Olympic Games from Los Angeles.

11. Sep - The first MTV Video Music Awards, featuring Madonna’s iconic breakout moment, the ‘Like a Virgin’ performance.

12. Nov - Sony and Philips introduce the first portable CD player.

13. Nov – Reagan Re-Elected

14. Top 3 Pop Songs

15. #1 - "When Doves Cry", Prince

16. #2 - "What's Love Got to Do with It", Tina Turner

17. #3 - "Say Say Say", Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson

18. Record of the Year: Tina Turner / What's Love Got To Do With It

19. Album of the Year: Lionel Richie / Can't Slow Down

20. Song of the Year: Terry Britten (songwriter) / What's Love Got To Do With

21. Best New Artist: Cyndi Lauper

22. Top 3 Movies

23. #1 - Beverly Hills Cop

24. #2 - Ghostbusters

25. #3 - Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

26. Other Notable Movies

27. Gremlins / Karate Kid /Footloose / Terminator / Nightmare on Elm Street / Police Academy / The Never-Ending Story / Sixteen Candles / Romancing the Stone / Breakin’ / Beat Street

28. Top 3 TV Shows

29. #1 – Dynasty

30. #2 – Dallas

31. #3 - The Cosby Show

32. Black Snapshots

33. Apr - Marvin Gaye, singer, songwriter, and musician (b. 1939) Motown legend Marvin Gaye was shot to death by his own father after a fight between them. The murder weapon was a gun he had given his father for Christmas. His reputed final words were, "I got what I wanted... I couldn't do it myself, so I made him do it."

34. Jul - Vanessa L. Williams becomes the first Miss America to resign when she surrenders her crown, after nude photos of her appear in Penthouse magazine.

35. Dec - Four African American youths board an express train in The Bronx and attempt to rob Bernhard Goetz. He shoots them.

36. Dec - The first nationally broadcast telethon for the United Negro College fund is held. - "A Mind is a Terrible Thing To Waste"

37. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Chaka Khan / "I Feel for You"

38. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: Billy Ocean / "Caribbean Queen"

39. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group: James Ingram & Michael McDonald for "Yah Mo B There"

40. Best R&B Instrumental Performance: Herbie Hancock / "Sound System"

41. Best Rhythm & Blues Song: Prince, songwriter / "I Feel for You" performed by Chaka Khan

42. Economic Snapshot

43. Avg. Income = $21,600

44. House = $86,700

45. New Car = $8,700

46. Avg. Rent = $350

47. Tuition at Harvard = $9,000

48. Movie Ticket = $2.50

49. Gas = $1.10

50. Stamp = $0.20

51. Social Scene: 1984 Olympics [Jul 28th - Aug 12th]

52. Under the direction of the American entrepreneur Peter Ueberroth, the 1984 Olympics witnessed the ascension of commercialism as an integral element in the staging of the Games. Corporate sponsors, principally U.S.-based multinationals, could put Olympic symbols on their products, which were then marketed as the “official” such product of the Olympics. A spot on the torch relay team sold for $3,000 per km. The Olympics turned a profit ($225 million) for the first time since 1932. Despite concerns about growing corporate involvement ... the financial success and high worldwide television ratings raised optimism about the Olympic movement for the first time in a generation. [Due to the success of the games, Peter Ueberroth was named Time magazine's Man of the Year in 1984.] - https://www.britannica.com/event/Los-Angeles-

53. The Soviets, and 13 other countries, in retaliation for the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, boycotted the 1984 Olympics.

54. Highlights:

55. Carl Lewis Ties Jesse Owens: At the 1936 Olympics, Jesse Owens won four gold medals — the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter, the long jump, and the 400-meter relay. Nearly five decades later, Carl Lewis also won four gold medals, in the same events as Jesse.

56. Edwin Moses won the gold medal in the 400m hurdles 8 years after winning in 1976.

57. Mary Lou Retton: The U.S. became enthralled with the short (4' 9"), exuberant Mary Lou Retton in her attempt to win gold in gymnastics, a sport that had long been dominated by the Soviet Union. When Retton received perfect scores in her final two events, she became the first American woman to win an individual gold medal in gymnastics.

58. A marathon for women was held for the first time at the Olympics (won by Joan Benoit of the U.S.)

59. Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, and Chris Mullin were on the team that won the gold medal in basketball.

60. The United States topped the medal count for the first time since 1968.

61. Music Scene

62. Black Songs from the Top 40

63. #1 - "When Doves Cry", Prince

64. #2 - "What's Love Got to Do with It", Tina Turner

65. #3 - "Say Say Say", Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson

66. #7 – “Hello", Lionel Richie

67. #9 - "Ghostbusters", Ray Parker Jr.

68. #12 - "All Night Long (All Night)", Lionel Richie

69. #13 - "Let's Hear It for the Boy", Deniece Williams

70. #18 - "Jump (For My Love)", The Pointer Sisters

71. #21 - "Let's Go Crazy", Prince and The Revolution

72. #22 - "Say It Isn't So", Hall & Oates

73. #24 - "Joanna", Kool & The Gang

74. #25 - "I Just Called to Say I Love You", Stevie Wonder

75. #30 - "The Glamorous Life", Sheila E.

76. #32 - "Stuck on You", Lionel Richie

77. Vote:

78. Top R&B Albums

79. Jan - Can't Slow Down, Lionel Richie

80. Mar – Thriller, Michael Jackson

81. Apr - Busy Body, Luther Vandross

82. Apr - She's Strange, Cameo

83. May - Can't Slow Down, Lionel Richie

84. Jul - Jermaine Jackson, Jermaine Jackson

85. Jul – Lady, One Way

86. Jul - Private Dancer, Tina Turner

87. Jul - Purple Rain [Soundtrack], Prince and The Revolution

88. Dec - The Woman in Red [Soundtrack], Stevie Wonder

89. Vote:

90. Featured Artist: Prince Rogers Nelson, a.k.a. Prince, The Purple One. American singer, songwriter, actor, and multi-instrumentalist. (@ 26 yrs. old)

91. Famous for his flamboyance, powerful voice, and eclectic behavior, he boasted of a career that spanned four long decades, a rarity in the music world where success is fickle. With worldwide sales of 100 million records, he is counted amongst the best-selling artists of all time. The son of a pianist and a jazz singer, Prince inherited his musical talents from his parents who encouraged him from a young age to pursue music as a career. Under his parents’ guidance he developed a deep love for music and began creating tunes when he was just seven. He also taught himself how to play the piano, guitar and drums. He became a professional singer and performer as a young man and earned much popularity with his eponymous album ‘Prince.’ His highly sexualized lyrics, creative compositions, and incorporation of elements of funk, dance, and rock music made him stand out from others of his generation. He enjoyed a very successful career that was cut short by his untimely death at the age of 57.

92. Childhood & Early Life:

93. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on June 7, 1958 to an African American couple Mattie Della and John Lewis Nelson. His father was a pianist and songwriter and his mother was a jazz singer. He suffered from epileptic seizures as a young child. He became interested in music at a young age and was encouraged by his parents. He taught himself how to play the piano, guitar and drums, and wrote his first tune when he was seven. His parents separated when he was ten, and the next few years were spent repeatedly switching homes, sometimes living with his father and sometimes with his other. He formed his first band, Grand Central (later known as Champagne), when he was 14.

94. Career:

95. Debut album ‘For You’, (1978) / ‘Prince’, (1979) - Hit singles ‘Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?’ and ‘I Wanna Be Your Lover’. Went platinum, effectively establishing Prince’s career. / ‘Dirty Mind’ (1980) / ’Controversy’ (1981), and ‘1999’ (1982)

96. 1984, he released ‘Purple Rain’. Sold more than 13 million copies in the US and spent 24 consecutive weeks at No. 1. The same year he appeared in a rock musical drama film of the same name, making his film debut. The film became a cult classic.

97. Following Albums: ‘Parade’ (1986) / ‘Sign o' the Times’ (1987) / ‘Lovesexy’ (1988) / ‘Batman’ (1989)

98. In the 1990s he started performing with a new backing band, the New Power Generation.

99. In 1993 he changed his stage name to, an unpronounceable symbol which was a combination of the symbols for male (♂) and female (♀).

100. ‘Purple Rain’ is consistently ranked among the best albums in music history and is widely regarded as Prince's magnum opus. It has sold over 22 million copies worldwide, becoming the sixth best-selling soundtrack album of all time. His album ‘Sign o' the Times’, which had elements of funk, soul, psychedelic pop, and rock music, and featured tracks like ‘If I Was Your Girlfriend’, ‘Housequake’ and ‘It’ was another one of his mega hits. In 1989, ‘Time Out’ magazine ranked it as the greatest album of all time.

101. In early April 2016 he reported that he was not feeling well and postponed his performances. It was also said that he was being treated for drug overdose. On April 21, 2016, he was found dead in an elevator. He was 57 years old.

102. Open Comments: Do you know what Purple Rain is?

103. TV Scene:

110. Open Comments:

111. Question: Evans or Huxtables?

112. Vote:

Topics: The Cold War, Run-DMC, New Edition, Bill Cosby (Himself), Eddie Murphy (Delirious). (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco)

Topics: Black Hair/Jheri Curls, Luther Vandross, Ragtime (Film) - Howard Rollins Jr., Nell Carter (Tv). (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco)

1981 Notes 1.      Snapshots 2.      Ronald Reagan is President 3.      Jan - Ronald Reagan is sworn in as the 40th President of the United States. Minutes later, Iran releases the 52 Americans held for 444 days, ending the Iran hostage crisis. 4.      Mar - U.S. President Ronald Reagan is shot in the chest outside a Washington, D.C. hotel by John Hinckley, Jr. Two police officers and Press Secretary James Brady are also wounded. 5.      Jun - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that five homosexual men in Los Angeles, California, have a rare form of pneumonia seen only in patients with weakened immune systems (the first recognized cases of AIDS). 6.      Jul - President Ronald Reagan nominates the first woman, Sandra Day O'Connor, to the Supreme Court of the United States. 7.      Aug - MTV (Music Television) is launched on cable television in the United States. 8.      Aug - The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is introduced. 9.      Nov - Luke and Laura marry on the U.S. soap opera General Hospital; it is the highest-rated hour in daytime television history. 10.     Dec - The first American test-tube baby, Elizabeth Jordan Carr, is born in Norfolk, Virginia. 11.     Open Comments: 12.     Popular Music Scene 13.     Top 3 Singles 14.     1 - "Bette Davis Eyes", Kim Carnes 15.     2 - "Endless Love", Diana Ross & Lionel Richie 16.     3 - "Lady", Kenny Rogers 17.     Record of the Year: "Bette Davis Eyes" performed by Kim Carnes 18.     Album of the Year: John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Double Fantasy 19.     Song of the Year: "Bette Davis Eyes" performed by Kim Carnes 20.     Best New Artist: Sheena Easton 21.     Open Comments: 22.     Popular Movies 23.     Top 3 Grossing Movies 24.     1 - Raiders of the Lost Ark 25.     2 - On Golden Pond 26.     3 - Superman II 27.     Open Comments: 28.     Popular TV 29.     Top 3 Rated Shows 30.     1 - Dallas 31.     2 - 60 Minutes 32.     3 - The Jeffersons 33.     Open Comments: 34.     Black Snapshots 35.     Feb - Funky 4 + 1 perform "That's the Joint" on NBC's Saturday Night Live. This makes them the first hip hop act to perform on national television.  36.     Mar - Toni Morrison gave her next novel, Tar Baby (1981), a contemporary setting. In it, a looks-obsessed fashion model, Jadine, falls in love with Son, a penniless drifter who feels at ease with being black. 37.     Jun - Wayne Williams, a 23-year-old African American, is arrested and charged with the murders of two other African Americans. He is later accused of 28 others, in the Atlanta child murders. 38.     Aug - Bryant Gumbel: The candidates auditioned for Brokaw's job throughout the summer of 1981 when he was on vacation. Gumbel became a candidate for the job just by chance when he served as a last-minute substitute for Today co-anchor Jane Pauley in August 1981.  39.     Oct - Gimme a Break! is an American sitcom that aired on NBC for six seasons from October 29, 1981 until May 12, 1987. The series starred Nell Carter as the housekeeper for a widowed police chief (Dolph Sweet) and his three daughters. 40.     Sep - Isabel Sanford - For her role on The Jeffersons as "Weezy", she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1981, making her the first African American actress to win in that category. 41.     Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Aretha Franklin for "Hold On I'm Comin'" 42.     Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: James Ingram for "One Hundred Ways" 43.     Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Quincy Jones for The Dude 44.     Best R&B Instrumental Performance: David Sanborn for "All I Need Is You" 45.     Best Rhythm & Blues Song: "Just the Two of Us" performed by Grover Washington, Jr. & Bill Withers 46.     Open Comments: 47.     Economic Snapshot 48.     New House: 78k 49.     Avg. income: 21k 50.     New car: 8k 51.     Avg rent: 315 52.     Postage Stamp: 18c 53.     Movie ticket: 2.25 54.     Open Comments: 55.     Social Scene: The Jheri Curl 56.     Brief History of Black Hair 57.     For centuries black communities around the world have created hairstyles that are uniquely their own. These hairstyles span all the way back to the ancient world and continue to weave their way through the social, political and cultural conversations surrounding black identity today. 58.     Ancient Origins: Headdresses and wigs symbolized one’s rank and were essential to royal and wealthy Egyptians, male and female alike.  59.     Twisted Locks: Dreadlocks have often been perceived as a hairstyle associated with 20th century Jamaican and Rastafarian culture, but according to Dr. Bert Ashe’s book, Twisted: My Dreadlock Chronicles, one of the earliest known recordings of the style has been found in the Hindu Vedic scriptures and worn about 2,500 years ago. 60.     Intricate Braids: Braids were used to signify marital status, age, religion, wealth, and rank within several West African communities. 61.     Bantu/Nubian Knots: Bantu universally translates to “people” among many African languages and is used to categorize over 400 ethnic groups in Africa.  62.     Cornrows: Africans wore these tight braids laid along the scalp as a representation of agriculture, order and a civilized way of life. These types of braids have served many purposes, from an everyday convenience to a more elaborate adornment meant for special occasions. In the age of colonialism, slaves wore cornrows not only as an homage to where they had come from, but also a practical way to wear one’s hair during long labored hours. 63.     Madam CJ Walker and The Quest for Straight Hair: Even after Emancipation, there was a growing notion that European textured hair was “good” and African textured hair was “bad,” foreign and unprofessional. Wigs and chemical treatments became the means to achieve smoother, straighter hair. Cornrows were still popular, but this time only as the base for sew-ins and extensions, not something thought of as for public display. In the early 1900s, Annie Malone and Madam C.J. Walker started to develop products that targeted this want for straighter hair.  64.     Dreadlocks: In the 1920s, Jamaica born Marcus Garvey began a black nationalist movement in America to spread his belief that all black people should return to their rightful homeland of Africa. Although many associate dreadlocks like Bob Marley’s with what became known as the Rastafari movement, the Ethiopian emperor, who the movement was named for, was better known for his facial hair than the hair on his head. Early Rastas were reluctant to cut their hair due to the Nazarite vow in the Bible. Tensions started to build regarding debates on whether to comb these locs. In the 1950s, a faction within the Rastafari movement, the Youth Black Faith, rebelled against any visual signs of conformity, and split into the “House of Dreadlocks” and “House of Combsomes.” 65.     Afro: With the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and ‘70s, came the rise of the natural hair movement that encouraged black communities to accept their hair and turn away from damaging products. The notion of conforming to European standards did not fit with their message of black power. 66.     Jheri Curl (Thanks Michael Jackson):  The Jheri curl provided a glossy curly style that became uniquely iconic in its time. The name comes from its inventor, Jheri Redding, a white man from an Illinois farm who turned into one of the 20th century’s leading hair chemists. In the 1970s, Jheri Redding Products created a two-step chemical process that first softened the hair, then sprang it up into curls. However, Comer Cottrell is the man responsible for taking this product to the masses. In 1970, Cottrell and two partners started mixing hair care products by hand for their new L.A. company, Pro-Line Corporation. By 1980 they were able to create a product that replicated the look of the Jheri curl for much cheaper. The Curly Kit cut out the need to book an expensive salon appointment and in 1981, Forbes magazine called it “the biggest single product ever to hit the black cosmetic market.” In their first year of business, the $8 kits took in over $10 million in sales. 67.     Audio Clips 68.     Shape-Ups and Fade: (Thanks Michael Jackson) The 1980s ushered in the birth of Hip Hop, which had a huge cultural influence on style. Black barber shops around the U.S. had perfected the fade but the ‘80s allowed them to blossom with more forms of creativity and expressionism. Afros were shaped up with the sides cut short for a hi-top fade, and cornrows were braided in with flairs of individuality. Icons like Grace Jones sported inspired looks on their album covers, and by the 1990s the fade was being beamed into television sets across the U.S., via Will Smith in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. [Source: https://www.history.com/news/black-hairstyles-visual-history-in-photos] 69.     Open Comments: 70.     Question: What is your "back in the day" hair horror story? 71.     Music Scene 72.     Black Songs from the Top 40  73.     #2 - "Endless Love", Diana Ross & Lionel Richie 74.     #6 - "Celebration", Kool & the Gang 75.     #7 - "Kiss on My List", Hall & Oates 76.     #13 - "Being with You", Smokey Robinson 77.     #18 - "Just the Two of Us", Grover Washington, Jr. & Bill Withers 78.     #19 - "Slow Hand", The Pointer Sisters 79.     #22 - "Sukiyaki", A Taste of Honey 80.     #39 - "Lady (You Bring Me Up)", Commodores 81.     #45 - "How 'Bout Us", Champaign 82.     Vote: 83.     Top R&B Albums 84.     Jan - Hotter Than July, Stevie Wonder 85.     Feb - The Gap Band III, The Gap Band 86.     Mar - The Two Of Us, Yarbrough & Peoples 87.     Apr - Being With You, Smokey Robinson 88.     May - A Woman Needs Love, Ray Parker Jr. & Raydio 89.     Jun - Street Songs, Rick James 90.     Oct - Breakin' Away, Jarreau 91.     Nov - The Many Facets Of Roger, Roger 92.     Nov - Never Too Much, Luther Vandross 93.     Nov - Something Special, Kool & The Gang 94.     Nov - Raise, Earth, Wind & Fire 95.     Vote: 96.     Key Artists: Luther Vandross, "The Velvet Voice" 97.     Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (@ 30 yrs. old), was born and raised in NYC. He was a singer, songwriter and record producer. - "For many years, Luther Vandross was the vintage Cadillac among the banged-up jalopies in the used car lot of male pop singers.  98.     With a sound that echoed the smooth soul stylings of the 1960s, Vandross was a fixture on the rhythm and blues charts from his solo recording debut in 1981 until his tragic stroke in 2003. Over the course of his career he released a string of platinum albums and established himself as one of the leading romantic singers of his generation. Much of his appeal came from his emotional approach to music, which he modeled after great female vocalists such as his friends Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick." 99.     He Came from Musical Family:  His father, an upholsterer, died when Luther was eight years old, and his mother, a nurse, supported the family (4 children) while living in lower Manhattan housing project. His first piano lessons came at the age of three and his sister was a member of a doo-wop group. By 13, Vandross was obsessed with the girl groups of the Motown label, as well as the gospel-based soul sounds being produced by the likes of Aretha Franklin and Cissy Houston. He liked to hang out in the school hallways and sing doo-wop. In 1972 (@21 yrs. old) a song written by Vandross, "Everybody Rejoice," was chosen for the Broadway musical The Wiz. Although he received substantial royalties for the composition, the money was not enough to support him completely, and Vandross continued to work at a variety of "day jobs". 100.    Entered the Music Industry through the Back Door: In 1974 (@23 yrs. old), Vandross received his first real professional break. A childhood friend landed a job backing British singer David Bowie, and he invited Vandross to accompany him to a recording session during the making of Bowie's album Young Americans. During the session, Bowie overheard Vandross mentioning some background vocal arrangement suggestions to Alomar. Bowie loved the ideas, and he immediately hired Vandross to sing and arrange backup vocals for the album. He also recorded a Vandross-penned song, "Fascination." When the album was finished, Vandross joined the Bowie tour as a backup singer. Through Bowie, Vandross made many important connections in the music industry, laying the groundwork for his own budding career. Bowie introduced Vandross was Bette Midler. She hired Vandross to sing backup vocals on her next two albums. Vandross soon became much sought after. Among the artists whose recordings his voice appeared on during the next few years were Chaka Khan, Carly Simon, Ringo Starr, the Average White Band, Barbra Streisand, and Donna Summer. He also became one of Madison Avenue's favorite voices for commercial jingles. During the late 1970s, Vandross's anonymous voice was used to sell everything from fried chicken to long-distance telephone service, not to mention as a recruiting tool for the U.S. Army.  Artistically, however, those jobs did not satisfy him, and he continued to try to break out as a solo act. He formed or joined several groups, with such names as Luther, Bionic Boogie, and Change, but none proved commercially viable. He also sang the lead vocal on Chic's song "Dance, Dance, Dance." 101.    Hit the Big Time: Part of the problem in landing a solo recording contract was Vandross's insistence on total creative control of the recording process. Another problem was the prevalence of disco, a musical form antithetical to Vandross's lyrical approach. Finally, in 1980, Vandross used his own money to rent a studio and began recording. He took the resulting handful of songs to Epic Records, and he was immediately given a contract. Epic released Vandross's first solo album, Never Too Much, in 1981. The album sold more than one million copies cracked the top ten on black pop charts, and effectively launched Vandross's career as a solo superstar. 102.    Audio Clip / Open comments: 103.    Achievements: Grammy Awards, 1979, 1990, 1991 (2), 1996, 2003 (4); NAACP Image Awards, 1990, 2003. 104.    Health and death: As Vandross's career expanded, so did his waistline. At times his weight soared to well over 300 pounds. Angered by the constant mention of his size in the press, where he was tagged with such nicknames as the "heavyweight of soul," Vandross shed 120 pounds, only to seesaw back and forth between weight extremes for the next several years. In several interviews, Vandross attributed the yo-yoing to his love life. When things were going well, he lost weight; when he was heartsick, he overcompensated with food. Sadly, in April of 2003 Vandross suffered a debilitating stroke that left him temporarily in a coma; the stroke was likely caused by a combination of his recent weight gain and his ongoing struggle with diabetes. He never fully recovered.  105.    Vandross died on July 1, 2005, at the JFK Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey, at the age of 54 of a heart attack. [Source:https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/luther-vandross] 106.    Movie Scene: Ragtime 107.    A 1981 drama, directed by Miloš Forman, based on the 1975 historical novel Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow.  Starring: Howad E Rollins Jr, Moses Gunn, Debbie Allen, and Samuel Jackson. 108.    Review: "Profound as Coalhouse's story might be, Ragtime is about far more. Set in early 1900s New York, at the beginning of America's so-called Gilded Age, the movie is about the radical and long-lasting changes, including the onset of the industrial revolution, and increased importance of civil rights and sexual equality issues. As in E.L. Doctorow's novel, the characters in Forman's film each represent those changes, with Coalhouse just one in a complex and compelling mix. [Source: Nikki Tranter - 28 Nov 2004 https://www.popmatters.com/ragtime-1981-dvd-2496253275.html] 109.    Roger Ebert - “Ragtime” is a loving, beautifully mounted, graceful film that creates its characters with great clarity. We understand where everyone stands, and most of the time we even know why. Forman surrounds them with some of the other characters from the Doctorow novel (including Harry Houdini, Teddy Roosevelt, and Norman Mailer as the architect Sanford White), but in the film they're just atmosphere, window dressing. Forman's decision to stick with the story of Coalhouse is vindicated, because he tells it so well. [Source: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ragtime-1981] 110.    Audio Clips 111.    Open Comments 112.    The actor Howard E. Rollins Jnr made his film debut in Milos Forman's Ragtime (1981) as Coalhouse Walker, the cool, sophisticated ragtime pianist. who becomes head of a group of black revolutionaries. Variety praised his "staggeringly effective portrayal of conscience-wracked pride" and "intense screen magnetism that bodes instant stardom". For a time, it looked as if Rollins would become Sidney Poitier's successor. However, in spite of unanimous praise from the critics, and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, Rollins made only one other film appearance. This was A Soldier's Story (1984) ...Rollins gave another memorable performance as the stylish, self-assured but intense Captain Richard Davenport, one of the first black officers in the US Army, who arrives in a racially segregated training camp in wartime Louisiana to investigate the murder of a black sergeant. But this time there was no Oscar recognition or any follow-up movie roles. Years passed before Hollywood felt ready to promote a serious black actor: Denzel Washington. 113.    Question: Was he better than Denzel? 114.    Black Television: Gimme a Break! [PLEASE!] 115.    The series aired for 6 seasons and starred Nell Carter as the housekeeper for a widowed police chief (Dolph Sweet) and his three daughters. 116.    Nell Ruth Hardy, (@ 33yrs old), born and raised in Birmingham, AL was an award-winning singer, actress, Broadway and television performer. She possessed a powerful, sultry singing voice and had a very strong stage presence; she deftly handled roles in drama, comedy, and musicals with equal capability. 117.    Carter was the fifth of nine children. When she was a toddler, her father died of electrocution. At 15, she was raped at gunpoint and gave birth to the child. That same year, four of her friends died when a bomb planted by segregationists exploded in a local church. Later, Carter would say she found solace in listening to music, having a fondness for her mother's Dinah Washington and B.B. King tunes as well as her brother's Elvis Presley records. Carter developed her performance skills by singing in church groups, on the gospel circuit, on a weekly radio program, and coffeehouses. At age 19, she moved to New York City to study acting at Bill Russell's School of Drama. There, she began to appear at several nightclubs. 118.    Carter's Broadway debut came in the 1971 musical Soon. (@23 yrs. old), – unknowns Richard Gere and Peter Allen were in the cast. Carter also had a bit part in the film Jesus Christ Superstar in 1973. She moved overseas and studied drama in London before being cast in the 1978 Broadway production of Ain’t Misbehavin' (@30 yrs. old), where it ran four years. She would win a Tony Award for her performance in Ain't Misbehavin' and won an Emmy Award in 1982 for the television version of the show. In addition to her stage roles, Carter appeared in a handful of television shows in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including the soap opera Ryan's Hope in 1978 and 1979 and in the television series The Mis-adventures of Sheriff Lobo in 1980. Sensing her appeal, network executives offered her the lead role in the sitcom Gimme A Break! in 1981. 119.    Audio clip: 120.    After Gimme a Break went off the air in 1987, Carter took various parts in films, on television shows, and on stage. Even later in her career, Carter kept active with cabaret performances and concerts. 121.    Eating disorders, alcohol and drug addiction, and other health concerns plagued Carter for years. In a 1994 interview, she admitted that she first tried cocaine the night she won her Tony Award. In 1992, Carter had two brain surgeries to fix an aneurysm. In 1997, Carter learned she had diabetes. Carter was married in 1982 and divorced in 1992, then married again that same year. She was divorced again in 1993. In 1989 and 1990, she adopted two sons. Carter died on January 23, 2003, at the age of 54 due to natural causes likely caused by heart disease and complications from diabetes. [Rumored: After her passing, friends and family were surprised to discover that Carter had been living as a closeted lesbian, and that custody of her children had been left to her domestic partner, Ann Kaser.] [Main Source: https://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2004-A-Di/Carter-Nell.html#ixzz5kPhe5ORT] 122.    Open Comments 123.    Question: Was this just a show about a modern Mammy? 124.    Vote: Favorite Pop Culture thing for the year?

A detailed look at black, African-American, culture during the "Seventies". (1970-1979) (Bonus Artists: Luck Pacheco)

Topics: Muhammad Ali, Rick James, Max Robinson (TV). (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound)

1978

Topics: Roots, by Alex Haley, with commentary by Adam DeCollibus (@adam_decollibus), author of "Caravan". (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco) (***Audio quality is spotty***)

1977 1.    General News snapshots 2.    Jimmy Carter President 3.    Jan - The world's first personal computer, the Commodore PET (Personal Electronic Transactor) released 4.    Jun - The Apple II released 5.    Aug - TRS-80 released (Byte magazine referred to these as the "1977 Trinity" of personal computing) 6.    Aug - U.S. President Jimmy Carter signs legislation creating the United States Department of Energy. 7.    Aug - Elvis Presley, the king of rock and roll dies in his home in Graceland at age 42. 8.    Oct - Atari 2600, this popularized the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code. 9.    Open Comments 10.    Economic Snapshots 11.    Min Wage = $2.30 (+.10) 12.    Avg. Income = $15,070 13.    New House = $49,300 14.    New car = $4,785 15.    Avg. rent $240 16.    Black unemployment 12.1% vs 7.6% 17.    Open Comments: 18.    Black News Snapshots 19.    Jan - Roots airs on ABC. 20.    Jul - The New York City blackout of 1977 lasts for 25 hours, resulting in looting and other disorder. 21.    Popular Music Snapshots 22.    Record of the Year: The Eagles for "Hotel California" 23.    Album of the Year: Fleetwood Mac for Rumours 24.    Song of the Year (Tied): "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)" performed by Barbra Streisand & "You Light Up My Life" performed by Debby Boone 25.    Best New Artist: Debby Boone 26.    Popular Movie Snapshots 27.    Top Grossing Movies 28.    1 - Star Wars 29.    2 - Smokey and the Bandit 30.    3 - Close Encounters of the Third Kind 31.    Notable Black Films 32.    A Piece of the Action: Crime comedy film directed by and starring Sidney Poitier and co-starring Bill Cosby. It was the third film pairing of Poitier and Cosby, following Uptown Saturday Night (1974) and Let's Do It Again (1975). The films are considered a trilogy, even though the actors play characters with different names in each film. It was also Poitier's last acting role for more than a decade, as he focused his attentions on directing only. 33.    Which Way is Up? Comedy film starring Richard Pryor. It is a remake of the 1972 Italian comedy film The Seduction of Mimi. Richard Pryor plays three roles: an orange picker who has two women at the same time, the orange picker's father, and a Reverend who gets the orange picker's wife pregnant. 34.    Popular TV Shows 35.    1 - Laverne & Shirley 36.    2 - Happy Days 37.    3 - Three's Company 38.    Notable Black TV Shows & Snapshots 39.    The Richard Pryor Show was an American comedy-variety show starring Richard Pryor. [Lasted for only 4 episodes] 40.    Benson DuBois (Robert Guillaume) debuts on Soap as the wisecracking African-American cook/butler. In 1979, Benson leaves for his own spin-off. 41.    Janet Jackson (@11 yrs. old) joins the cast of the CBS sitcom Good Times for its final two seasons as Penny Gordon, an upstairs neighbor who is abused her biological mother. 42.    Open Comments: 43.    Black Social Scene [+ Television] 44.    Roots:  The Saga of an American Family - “One of the most important books and television series ever to appear, Roots, galvanized the nation, and created an extraordinary political, racial, social and cultural dialogue that hadn’t been seen since the publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The book sold over one million copies in the first year, and the miniseries was watched by an astonishing 130 million people. It also won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Roots opened up the minds of Americans of all colors and faiths to one of the darkest and most painful parts of America’s past.” - www.litlovers.com 45.    Special guest commentator: Adam DeCollibus, Author of Caravan. 46.    Brief explanation for why Adam was invited 47.    Adam’s personal/writing background 48.    Adam’s professional/company background 49.    Adam’s personal/professional goals 50.    Adam’s biggest obstacles (past, present, or future) 51.    Summary of Adam’s book, “Caravan” 52.    Transition to Roots discussion 53.    Roots tells the story of Kunta Kinte - a young man taken from The Gambia when he was seventeen and sold as a slave - and seven generations of his descendants in the United States, which includes the author himself. [The Television mini-series focused mainly on Kunta, his daughter Kizzy, and her son “Chicken” George.] 54.    Open comments/general reactions to the story 55.    Brief layout of the main Characters / Conflicts / Resolutions 56.    Discussion Topics: [American-born African-Americans broken Identity with Africa / Kizzy's relationship with Missy Anne [i.e., happy pet and owner type relationship] / George's skin color] 57.    [Open floor topics] 58.    Has the context changed in 21st century America? Do different themes seem important now? 59.    Concluding question: Did you find anything hopeful about the story? [i.e. a spark curiosity / or pride / or determination] 60.    Thanks to Adam [Caravan recap/contact info] 61.    Black Music Scene 62.    Billboard Top 40 “Black” songs 63.    3 - "Best of My Love", The Emotions 64.    5 - "Angel in Your Arms", Hot 65.    7 - "Don't Leave Me This Way", Thelma Houston 66.    8 - "(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher", Rita Coolidge 67.    11 - "I'm Your Boogie Man", KC and the Sunshine Band 68.    18 - "Sir Duke", Stevie Wonder 69.    20 - "Got to Give It Up", Marvin Gaye 70.    23 - "Rich Girl", Hall & Oates 71.    25 - "Hot Line", The Sylvers 72.    26 - "Car Wash", Rose Royce 73.    27 - "You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)", Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. 74.    33 - "Easy", Commodores 75.    35 - "I've Got Love on My Mind", Natalie Cole 76.    40 - "Enjoy Yourself", The Jacksons 77.    41 - "Dazz", Brick 78.    Vote: 79.    Billboard Top Soul Albums 80.    Jan - Songs in the Key of Life, Stevie Wonder 81.    Jan - Good High, Brick 82.    Mar - Ask Rufus, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan 83.    Apr - Unpredictable, Natalie Cole 84.    Apr - Ahh... The Name Is Bootsy, Baby!, Bootsy's Rubber Band 85.    Apr - Live at the London Palladium, Marvin Gaye 86.    May - Go for Your Guns, The Isley Brothers 87.    May - Commodores, Commodores 88.    Jul - Rejoice, The Emotions 89.    Aug - Floaters, The Floaters 90.    Oct - Rose Royce II: In Full Bloom, Rose Royce 91.    Oct - Something to Love, L.T.D. 92.    Oct - Barry White Sings for Someone You Love, Barry White 93.    Nov - Brick, Brick 94.    Dec - All 'n All, Earth, Wind & Fire 95.    Vote: 96.    Movie Scene [Covered during Popular Movie Discussion] 97.    Television Scene [Covered during Social discussion] 98.    Biggest Legacy from 1977

Topics: Black History Month, Chaka Khan, Car Wash (film), What's Happening! (TV). (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound)

Topics: Black Women vis-a-vis White Women in the feminist community, Funk Music, Claudine (film), Good Times (TV show). (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound)

1974

...fyi "Claudine" is free on Youtube: https://youtu.be/tJUiV9Pnwps

General News

Richard Nixon STILL President. but not for long.

Vietnam War: Wrapping up active combat.

Feb - Newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst kidnapped. 2 months later she participates in a bank robbery.

Apr - Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves breaks Babe Ruth's home run record

Jul - Watergate scandal: The House Judiciary Committee adopts 3 articles of impeachment, charging President Nixon with obstruction of justice, failure to uphold laws, and refusal to produce subpoenaed material.

Aug - Richard Nixon resigns as President of the United States. President Gerald Ford is sworn in. Ford later pardons Nixon for any crimes Nixon may have committed while in office.

Sep - Stuntman Evel Knievel fails in his attempt to rocket across the Snake River Canyon in Idaho.

Oct -The Rumble in the Jungle. Muhammad Ali knocks out George Foreman to regain the Heavyweight title, which had been stripped from him 7 years earlier.

1974 minimum wage = $2hr/$80wk/$4kyrly - 2018 = $10.50/$420/$21k

Avg. House Price = $9,942 

Avg. Annual Income = $13,9k

Avg. Monthly Rent = $185

Gallon of Gas = 42c 

Dozen Eggs = 45c

9% unemployment vs Black unemployment 15%

Open Comments:

Top Pop Singles:

"The Way We Were", Barbra Streisand

"Seasons in the Sun", Terry Jacks

"Love's Theme", Love Unlimited Orchestra

Grammy Awards for 1974

ROY: Olivia Newton-John, "I Honestly Love You"

AOY: Stevie Wonder, Fulfillingness' First Finale

SOY: "The Way We Were", Barbra Streisand

New Artist: Marvin Hamlisch

Top Grossing Movies

Blazing Saddles

The Towering Inferno

The Trial of Billy Jack

Top TV Shows

All in the Family

Sanford and Son

Chico and the Man

Debut Shows

Feb - Good Times (a spinoff of Maude) (1974–79)

Sep - That's My Mama (1974–1975)

Open Comments:

Black Snapshots

Gail Cobb (@24yrs), Black Washington D.C. police officer: The first U.S. woman police officer killed in the line of duty.

Maya Angelou: Gather Together in My Name, the second of seven autobiographies.

James Baldwin: If Beale Street Could Talk, a love story set in Harlem in the early 1970's.

Reader's Digest publishes the first excerpts from Roots in May and June. They said it was an epic work, "destined to become a classic of American literature."

Univ. of Penn publishes a study concluding IQ tests are biased towards whites

Cicely Tyson 2 Emmys for The Autobiography of Miss Jane.

Richard Pryor Emmy for Lily Tomlins TV special

Open Comments:

Social Scene: Sisters Gonna Work It Out

Social Scene: Women's issues

Sept: President Gerald Ford meets with women's groups and it was the first time a president of NOW had been invited to the White House.

Apr - The first industry-wide race and sex discrimination settlement, steel companies settled with the Labor Department for approximately $56 million.

May - AT&T signed a $30 million consent decree with the EEOC for back pay to victims of sex discrimination. Companies agreed to equalize starting salaries for men and women and guarantee that both sexes would receive equal pay in promotions. It provided May - Bank of America agrees to pay $10 million in compensatory salary increases to its women employees.

Jul - Eleven women were ordained as the first female priests of the Episcopal Church.

Mar - Helen Thomas named White House reporter for UPI. It was the first time a woman had held such a position.

Apr. - Julia Phillips wins Oscar for "The Sting.", the first by a woman movie producer.

Aug - The Fair Housing Act of 1968 extended to prohibit discrimination based on sex.

Oct - The Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibits discrimination in consumer credit practices based on sex. (Lindy Boggs added the provision without informing fellow committee members)

The Big Backlash Begins

Jan - The "March for Life", an annual rally protesting both the practice and legality of abortion was organized for the first time. 

Open Comments:

Four Sisters put there foot down and make the world turn

Washington: Before Barack there was Barbara

Barbara Charline Jordan (@ 38yrs), lawyer, educator, politician, and Civil Rights leader.

Born and raised in Houston

Democrat and the first African American elected to the Texas Senate.

After Reconstruction, the first Southern African-American woman elected to the HOR

Best known for her eloquent opening statement at the House Judiciary Committee hearings during the impeachment process against Richard Nixon

Also, the first African-American and the first woman to deliver a keynote address at a Democratic National Convention in 1976.

Her sexual orientation has never been determined, but some sources list her as a lesbian.

Bill Clinton said that he wanted to nominate Jordan for the SCOTUS, but by the time he could, she had health problems.

Died at the age of 59 due to complications from pneumonia in 1996.

[Audio Clip]

The sophisticated Songstress

Roberta Cleopatra Flack (@37 yrs.), Singer-songwriter, musician.

Known for her #1 singles "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "Killing Me Softly with His Song" and "Feel Like Makin' Love", and for "Where Is the Love" and "The Closer I Get to You", two of her many duets with Donny Hathaway.

She was the first, and remains the only, solo artist to win the Grammy Award for ROY on two consecutive years

The "Black B**ch" (Her words)

Diahann Carroll (@39yrs): Actress, singer and model

Known for performances in some of the earliest major studio films to feature black casts, Carmen Jones (1954) and Porgy and Bess (1959)

Julia (1968) broke ground for being one of the first shows on TV to star a black woman in a non-stereotypical role.

Also played Dominique Deveraux in the TV show Dynasty.

[Audio Clip]

The Anti-Mammy Machine

Esther Rolle (@54yrs): Actress.

Born and raised in Pompano Beach, Florida

Best known for her role as Florida Evans

She was the tenth of 18 children.

Iron-willed and PROUD

Her father insisted she promise to never become a servant or maid in real life.

[Audio Clip]

Open Comments:

Question: These four women broke down barriers, without the help of the National Organization of Women. Are white women reliable allies for black women?

Conclusion: The more things change the more they seem to stay the same.

Music Scene:

Top "Black" pop singles

3 - "Love's Theme", Love Unlimited Orchestra

5 - "Dancing Machine", The Jackson 5

7 - "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)", MFSB

11 - "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)", Aretha Franklin

12 - "Jungle Boogie", Kool & the Gang

14 - "You Make Me Feel Brand New", The Stylistics

15 - "Show and Tell", Al Wilson

19 - "Sideshow", Blue Magic

30 - "Boogie Down", Eddie Kendricks

34 - "Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me", Gladys Knight & the Pips

35 - "Feel Like Makin' Love", Roberta Flack

36 - "Just Don't Want to Be Lonely", The Main Ingredient

37 - "Nothing from Nothing", Billy Preston

38 - "Rock Your Baby", George McCrae

Vote:

Top Albums

Jan Imagination, Gladys Knight & the Pips

Feb Stone Gon', Barry White

Feb Ship Ahoy, The O'Jays

Feb Livin' for You, Al Green

Mar Love Is the Message, MFSB

Apr Boogie Down, Eddie Kendricks

May The Payback, James Brown

May Let Me in Your Life, Aretha Franklin

May Open Our Eyes, Earth, Wind & Fire

Jun Mighty Love, The Spinners

Jun War Live, War

Jul Body Heat, Quincy Jones

Jul Claudine, Soundtrack / Gladys Knight & the Pips

Aug Skin Tight, The Ohio Players

Aug Marvin Gaye, Live!, Marvin Gaye

Sep That Nigger's Crazy, Richard Pryor

Oct Fulfillingness' First Finale, Stevie Wonder

Nov Live It Up, The Isley Brothers

Nov Can't Get Enough, Barry White

Dec I Feel a Song, Gladys Knight & the Pips

Vote:

Key Artist

George Edward Clinton (@33yrs), The Prime Minister of Funk, a.k.a. Dr. Funkenstein, a.k.a, Star Child: Singer, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer. 

Born in Kannapolis, NC, he grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey. Clinton became interested in doo wop during the early ’50s. Basing his group on Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, Clinton formed The Parliaments in 1955, rehearsing in the back room of a Plainfield barbershop where he straightened hair. The Parliaments released only two singles during the next ten years, but frequent trips to Detroit during the mid-’60s – where Clinton began working as a songwriter and producer – eventually paid off their investment. The Parliaments finally had a hit with the 1967 single “(I Wanna) Testify”. But his label ran out of money and George refused to record any new material. When the label was bought out by Atlantic, Clinton decided to abandon the Parliaments name rather than record for the major label and record the same band under a new name: Funkadelic. (In 1970 he regained the rights to The Parliaments name) Inspired by Motown ‘s assembly line of sound, He gradually put together a collective of over 50 musicians and recorded during the ’70s both as Parliament and Funkadelic. While Funkadelic pursued band-format psychedelic rock, Parliament engaged in a funk free-for-all, blending influences from the godfathers (James Brown and Sly Stone) with freaky costumes and themes inspired by ’60s acid culture and science fiction. He is regarded, along with James Brown and Sly Stone, as one of the foremost innovators of funk music. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, alongside 15 other members of Parliament-Funkadelic.

Key Artist

Kool & the Gang, "Best Band Ever!?!?"

Formed in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964 by brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell. They have explored many musical styles: jazz, soul, funk, rock, and pop music. After three albums, the band had commercial success with Wild and Peaceful (1973) which contained the US top ten singles "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging". They reached a commercial peak between 1979 and 1986 following their partnership with Brazilian musician Eumir Deodato and the addition of singer James "J.T." Taylor to the line-up. Their most successful albums of this period include Ladies' Night (1979), Celebrate! (1980), and Emergency (1984), and the hit singles "Ladies' Night", "Celebration", "Get Down on It", "Joanna", and "Cherish". The band continues to perform to this day.

Open Comments:

Question: What makes a track funky?

Movie Scene - Royal Black Hollywood Strikes Back

Both movies were deliberate attempts to counter the Blaxploitation movement.

Claudine - "The Poverty Technician" (Plot)

The film tells the story of Claudine Price (Diahann Carroll), a single Black Harlem mother, living on welfare with six children, who finds love with a garbage collector, Rupert Marshall (James Earl Jones), whom she calls "Roop". The pair's relationship becomes complicated because of several factors. Among these are that the couple do not want to marry because they would not be able to support the children without welfare, and that the kids themselves, particularly eldest son Charles (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs), are apprehensive of Rupert, and believe that he will leave their mother just like her previous husbands had. Claudine and Rupert meet while both are at work. Rupert asks Claudine out on a date with him and Claudine accepts. When Rupert becomes invited inside Claudine's apartment, the children are rude and vulgar towards Rupert. This is also the first time the audience meets the children and sees the inside of Claudine's slum-like apartment. Later, in the film, the audience finds out that Claudine receives financial aid from the government through the welfare program. Throughout the film, Miss Kabak, the social worker, visits Claudine at her home and asks her if she is employed and if she is dating anyone. Claudine always denies Miss Kabak the truth and lies to her about being unemployed and single. If Claudine tells the truth and says that she is employed, the amount of financial aid she receives from the welfare program would decrease or she could also no longer receive any more financial aid. If Claudine dates anyone and receives gifts from her boyfriend, the social worker must deduct any money or gifts Claudine is receiving from whomever she is dating. Just before he is to announce his engagement to Claudine to the kids, Rupert is served papers for a court order relating to underpayment of child support of his own children; his work wages are garnished to pay the difference. Rupert becomes so upset about this that he disappears for a couple of days and loses contact with everyone. He moves out of his apartment, does not show up to work, and does not show up to the Father's Day celebration the children had prepared for him. Charles eventually finds him drunk at a bar and angrily confronts him. Charles is angry at Rupert because he left his mother without any explanation. Out of the anger Charles felt for Rupert, he engages in a physical fight with him. After the incident at the bar, Rupert eventually shows up outside of Claudine's apartment and speaks to her. After some time, the couple talk things over and make up. After several hardships and debating over whether they should marry because of financial issues relating to welfare, the couple decide to marry. They hold a wedding ceremony, but it is interrupted when Charles runs inside the apartment in the middle of the ceremony while the police are chasing after him. The couple and the rest of the children run after Charles, leave the ceremony, and board the police wagon. The film ends on a cheery note with the entire family, along with Rupert, walking happily hand in hand through the neighborhood.

Question: Should welfare be (a) reformed or (b) avoided? What would a or b look like?

Conclusion: Regardless of the message, Gladys' music was on hit (3rd #1 R&B LP) and Diahann Carroll was great, she was nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards in 1975.

Uptown Saturday Night - "The Good Guys (Sidney & Bill) Get Over" (Plot)

While enjoying themselves at Madame Zenobia's club on Saturday Night, Steve Jackson (Poitier) and Wardell Franklin (Cosby) are held up by robbers who raid the club, taking Steve's wallet as a result. Upon realizing that a winning lottery ticket worth $50,000 is in the wallet, they set out to find the crooks themselves. Determined to retrieve the ticket, they search for it using the help of gangster Geechie Dan Beauford (Belafonte), who wants to defeat his rival Silky Slim (Lockhart). Using their wit, perseverance, and fearlessness, Steve and Wardell devise a plan to get the ticket using the help of both gangsters, in the hopes that it will pay off for them.

Question: Is this truly anti-Blaxploitation or just another version?

Television Scene - A Tale of 2 Black Families

That's My Mama, "Warm and Fuzzy" (1 season, 1974-75) (Plot)

Set in a middle-class African American neighborhood in Washington, D.C., the program revolved around the character Clifton Curtis (played by Clifton Davis), a man in his mid-20s who worked as a barber at Oscar's Barber Shop, the family barber shop he had inherited from his late father. While Clifton enjoyed being a bachelor, his loving, but tart-tongued and opinionated mother Eloise "Mama" Curtis, played by Theresa Merritt, wanted him to settle down and find a nice wife. Additional characters – such as Clifton's two best friends—Earl, played by Teddy Wilson, an easy-going mailman and Junior, played by Ted Lange, a suave and good-humored ladies' man—came and went over the course of a typical day at Oscar's Barber Shop. Other characters included Tracy, Clifton's little sister, played by Lynne Moody and later by Joan Pringle and her husband, Leonard, played by Lisle Wilson, as well as local seniors Josh and Wildcat, played by DeForest Covan and Jester Hairston. Clifton Davis and Hairston would work together again years later in the hit sitcom, Amen.

Conclusion: Never a ratings success.

Good Times, "Classic" (6 seasons, 1974-1979) (Plot)

Florida and James Evans live in a Chicago housing project and have three children: James Jr., also known as "J.J."; Thelma; and Michael, called "the militant midget" by his father due to his passionate activism. When the series begins, J.J. is seventeen years old, Thelma is sixteen, and Michael is eleven. Their exuberant neighbor, and Florida's best friend, is Willona Woods, a recent divorcée who works at a boutique. Their building superintendent is Nathan Bookman. The characters originated on the sitcom Maude. Episodes deal with the characters' attempts to overcome poverty. GT was intended to be a good show for Esther Rolle and John Amos. Both expected the show to deal with serious topics in a comedic way while providing positive characters. However, J.J. became the breakout character.  As a result, the writers focused more on J.J.'s comedic antics instead of serious issues. Through seasons two and three, Rolle and Amos grew increasingly disillusioned with the direction of the show. Rolle was vocal about it: "He's 18 and he doesn't work. He can't read or write. He doesn't think. The show didn't start out to be that...Little by little—with the help of the artist, I suppose, because they couldn't do that to me—they have made J.J. more stupid and enlarged the role. Negative images have been slipped in on us through the character of the oldest child." Jimmie Walker was the only cast member to not show at Rolle's funeral. Amos also spoke out: "The writers would prefer to put a chicken hat on J.J. and have him prance around saying "DY-NO-MITE", and that way they could waste a few minutes and not have to write meaningful dialogue." Amos was ultimately fired after just 3 seasons.

[Audio Clip]

Open Comments:

Question: Did/do you know anyone in real life like J.J.?

Conclusion: They didn't recast James Evans, they just killed him off and Esther was playing a single mom after all. She quit after season 4.

Vote, Biggest Impact for 1974:

Topics: Dj Kool Herc, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, Pam Grier, The Mack, & George Jefferson. (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco)

Topics: Shirley Anita Chisholm, H. Rap Brown, Diana Ross, Al Green, Superfly, Sanford & Son, & Fat Albert. (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound)

Topics: The Black Church, Jessie Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Shaft, & Soul Train. (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco)

1971 Overview Snapshots 1.    Richard Nixon still President 2.    Vietnam War still going: (year 16 of 19) 3.    Deaths: 2,357 of 58,318 total 4.    Congressional Black Caucus created 5.    Soledad Brothers (California) and Attica (New York) prison riots 6.    The Supreme Court rules unanimously that busing of students may be ordered to achieve racial desegregation. 7.    Maya Angelou’s, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Nikki Giovanni all publish books 8.    Beverly Johnson is the first black woman to appear on the cover of a major fashion magazine (Glamour). 9.    QUESTION: Because schools are socializing and educational institutions, did busing “undercut” black identity and intellect or help us get along better in a diverse world and learn more? Jesse Louis Jackson Sr.: Civil rights activist, Baptist minister, and politician from Greenville, South Carolina, U.S. 10.    Breakout Year: The "Black Expo" in Chicago, attend by 800,000+, to encourage black business and he organizes People United to Save Humanity (P.U.S.H.) 11.    FYI: Graduate from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign 12.    Started working for Martin Luther King Jr. in 1965 13.    Jackson participated in the Selma to Montgomery marches. 14.    Became known for commanding public attention since he first started with MLK. 15.    MLK was impressed by JJ’s drive and organizational abilities but was also concerned about his ambition and attention-seeking. 16.    1971 he grabs the MLK legacy and becomes the de facto face of the “Black Church”. 17.    QUESTION: I appreciate Jessie, but why don’t I trust him? The Black Church: Always in the Mix. (JJ  18.    The phrase "black church" refers to Protestant churches that minister to predominantly black congregations. 19.    Segregationist discouraged and often prevented blacks from worshiping with whites.  20.    This created culturally distinct communities and worship practices that incorporated African spiritual traditions. 21.    Gradually, slaves developed their own interpretations of the Scriptures. Finding inspiration in stories of oppression and deliverance like Moses vs. Pharaoh. 22.    Question: First image that comes to mind? 23.    Key event: Philadelphia, PA 1787 – Birth of the “Black Church”: Richard Allen founded the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME). The first fully independent black denomination. 24.    The AME church put a high premium on education, tended to attract the middle class, and produce black leadership. 25.    After the Civil War, "Baptists" grew rapidly, due primarily to a more independent governing structure. 26.    Baptist churches are governed locally, by the congregation. 27.    Major Difference Between Methodist and Baptist: The Method of Baptism [Pentecostals require additional reading] 28.    Who: Methodists baptize infants. Baptists only baptizes those capable of understanding. 29.    How: Methodists baptize with immersion, sprinkling, and pouring. Baptists only with immersion. 30.    Question: Any special memories about you or someone else being baptized? The Civil Rights Period: The Baptist “Come Up” 31.    Black churches were the heart and soul: acting as information hubs and centers of solidarity, while also providing leadership, organizational manpower, and moral guidance during this period. 32.    Notable minister-activists: Martin Luther King, Jr. - Baptists (Atlanta, GA), Ralph David Abernathy - Baptist (Linden, AL), Bernard Lee - Baptist (Norfolk, VA), Fred Shuttlesworth - Baptist (Mount Meigs, AL), Wyatt Tee Walker - Baptists (Brockton, MA), C. T. Vivian - Baptist (Boonville, MO) *Obama awarded him The P.M.o.H. in 2013.  Practices 33.    Main features: African ritual, slave emotionalism, and speaking/story-telling eloquence.  34.    Services: devotional prayer, singing by the congregation and choir, and the minister's sermon. 35.    Many ministers use drama, poetry, and the "call and response" tradition to connect with and energize the congregation. Question: Have you ever visited a “white” church and felt the difference? Politics and social issues 36.    Tendency to focus more on social issues. (poverty, gang violence, drug use, prison ministries, racism, etc.) 37.    Generally, more socially conservative [i.e., same-sex marriage, LGBT issues, women's rights, etc.] Present Day: Quick facts (Pew Research Center’s 2014 Religious Landscape Study) 38.    Roughly eight-in-ten (79%) Blacks self-identify as Christian.  39.    The share of African Americans who identify as religiously “unaffiliated” has increased in recent years, mirroring national trends. 40.    This shift may help explain the popularity of non-church led activism, such as Black Lives Matter, Contributions of the Black Church 41.    The church has housed and fed the poor, assisted with psychologically negative and destructive habits, helped others overcome social and economic oppression, provided leadership development, supported the black family structure, acted as a social network and liaison for businesses, educated youths and adults, mentored "at risk" youth, provided job development skills, offered scholarships, built recreation centers, provided prison aftercare and drug prevention programs, and many other things. 42.    Functioned as a primary repository for "Black Culture", housing much of our history and traditions. Conclusion: 43.    Historically, the Black Church has been a major agent for socioeconomic and religious empowerment since the post-slavery era. 44.    It has acted as a reliable ally and sanctuary to the black community. Question: Will the Black Church be as vital to the next generation? Economics 45.    Unemployment Rate = 5.8% / Minimum Wage = $1.60, up .15c ($64w, $3,200y, ~$19,800 in 2018) Music 46.    Top Singles for the entire year of 1971 (Source: http://billboardtop100of.com/1971-2/) (*) = Black Artists / (it took 40 songs to get 10 black artists) -1    Three Dog Night: Joy To The World -2    Rod Stewart: Maggie May / (Find A) Reason To Believe -3    Carole King: It’s Too Late / I Feel The Earth Move -4    Osmonds: One Bad Apple -5    Bee Gees: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart -6    Raiders: Indian Reservation -7    Donny Osmond: Go Away Little Girl -8    John Denver: Take Me Home, Country Roads -9(1)    Temptations: Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) -10    Dawn: Knock Three Times -11    Janis Joplin: Me And Bobby McGee -12(2)    Al Green: Tired Of Being Alone -13(3)    Honey Cone: Want Ads -14(4)    Undisputed Truth: Smiling Faces Sometimes -15(5)    Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose: Treat Her Like A Lady -16    James Taylor: You’ve Got A Friend -17(6)    Jean Knight: Mr. Big Stuff -18    Rolling Stones: Brown Sugar -19    Lee Michaels: Do You Know What I Mean -20    Joan Baez: The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down -21(7)    Marvin Gaye: What’s Going On -22    Paul and Linda McCartney: Uncle Albert-Admiral Halsey -23(8)    Bill Withers: Ain’t No Sunshine -24    Five Man Electrical Band: Signs -25    Tom Jones: She’s A Lady -26    Murray Head and The Trinidad Singers: Superstar -27(9)    Free Movement: I Found Someone Of My Own -28    Jerry Reed: Amos Moses -29    Grass Roots: Temptation Eyes -30    Carpenters: Superstar -31    George Harrison: My Sweet Lord / Isn’t It A Pity -32    Donny Osmond: Sweet And Innocent -33    Ocean: Put Your Hand In The Hand -34    Daddy Dewdrop: Chick-a-boom -35    Carpenters: For All We Know -36    Sammi Smith: Help Me Make It Through The Night -37    Carpenters: Rainy Days And Mondays -38    Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind -40(10)    Jackson 5: Never Can Say Goodbye 47.    Question: Best Single? Top Albums 48.    Jan - ...To Be Continued, Isaac Hayes 49.    Feb - Curtis, Curtis Mayfield 50.    Apr - Live in Cook County Jail, B.B. King 51.    May - Maybe Tomorrow, The Jackson 5 52.    Jun - Aretha Live at Fillmore West, Aretha Franklin 53.    Jul - What's Going On, Marvin Gaye 54.    Jul - Shaft    Soundtrack, Isaac Hayes 55.    Question: Best album? Key Artists 56.    Marvin Gaye: American singer, songwriter and record producer. Gaye helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo artist with a string of hits, including "Ain't That Peculiar", "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", and duet recordings with Mary Wells, Kim Weston, Diana Rossand Tammi Terrell, later earning the titles "Prince of Motown" and "Prince of Soul". 57.    During the 1970s, he recorded the albums What's Going On and Let's Get It On and became one of the first artists in Motown (joint with Stevie Wonder) to break away from the reins of a production company. His later recordings influenced several contemporary R&B subgenres, such as quiet storm and neo soul. Following a period in Europe as a tax exile in the early 1980s, he released the 1982 Grammy Award-winning hit "Sexual Healing" and its parent album Midnight Love. 58.    Aretha Louise Franklin: American singer and songwriter. Franklin began her career as a child singing gospel at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, where her father, C. L. Franklin, was minister. In 1960, at the age of 18, she embarked on a secular career. 59.    In 1967, Franklin achieved commercial acclaim and success with songs such as "Respect", "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", "Spanish Harlem" and "Think". 60.    By the end of the 1960s decade she had gained the title "The Queen of Soul".  61.    Franklin eventually became the most charted female artist in the history. 62.    Franklin has won a total of 18 Grammy Awards and is one of the best-selling musical artists of all time, having sold over 75 million records worldwide. Franklin has been honored throughout her career including a 1987 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in which she became the first female performer to be inducted. She was inducted to the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. In August 2012, Franklin was inducted into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Franklin is listed in at least two all-time lists on Rolling Stone magazine, including the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time; and the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. African-American Cinema 63.    Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song is a 1971 American independent action thriller film written, co-produced, scored, edited, directed by and starring Melvin Van Peebles. His son Mario Van Peebles also appears in a small role, playing the title character as a young boy. It tells the picaresque story of a poor black man on his flight from the white authority. 64.    Van Peebles began to develop the film after being offered a three-picture contract for Columbia Pictures. No studio would finance the film, so Van Peebles funded the film himself, shooting it independently over a period of 19 days, performing all of his own stunts and appearing in several sex scenes, reportedly unsimulated. He received a $50,000 loan from Bill Cosby to complete the project. The film's fast-paced montages and jump-cuts were unique features in American cinema at the time. The picture was censored in some markets and received mixed critical reviews. However, it has left a lasting impression on African-American cinema. 65.    The musical score of Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song was performed by Earth, Wind & Fire. Van Peebles did not have any money for traditional advertising methods, so he released the soundtrack album prior to the film's release to generate publicity. Huey P. Newton celebrated and welcomed the film's revolutionary implications, and Sweetback became required viewing for members of the Black Panther Party. According to Variety, it demonstrated to Hollywood that films which portrayed "militant" blacks could be highly profitable, leading to the creation of the blaxploitation genre, although critic Roger Ebert did not consider this example of Van Peebles' work to be an exploitation film. 66.    Release date: April 23, 1971 / Budget: $150k (~920k today) / Gross: $4.1m (~25m today) 67.    Shaft is a 1971 American blaxploitation action-crime film directed by Gordon Parks and written by Ernest Tidyman and John D. F. Black. The film revolves around a private detective named John Shaft who is hired by a Harlem mobster to rescue his daughter from the Italian mobsters who kidnapped her. The film stars Richard Roundtree as John Shaft, Moses Gunn as Bumpy Jonas, Charles Cioffi as Vic Androzzi, and Christopher St. John as Ben Buford. The major themes present in Shaft are the Black Power movement, race, masculinity, and sexuality. It was filmed within the New York City borough of Manhattan, specifically in Harlem, Greenwich Village, and Times Square. 68.    Shaft was one of the first blaxploitation films, and one of the most popular, which "marked a turning point for this type of film and spawned a number of sequels and knockoffs." The Shaft soundtrack album, recorded by Isaac Hayes, was also a success, winning a Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture; and a second Grammy that he shared with Johnny Allen for Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement; Grammy Award for Best Original Score; the "Theme from Shaft" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and has appeared on multiple Top 100 lists, including AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs. Widely considered a prime example of the blaxploitation genre. Shaft was selected in 2000 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." 69.    Release date: July 2, 1971 / Budget: 500k (~3m today) / Gross: $13m (~80m today) 70.    The film was one of only three profitable movies that year for MGM,  71.    It not only spawned several years of "blaxploitation" action films, it earned enough money to save then-struggling MGM from bankruptcy Television: 72.    Soul Train is an American music-dance television program which aired in syndication from October 2, 1971 to March 27, 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, dance/pop and hip-hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco and gospel artists also appeared. The series was created by Don Cornelius, who also served as its first host and executive producer. 73.    Some commentators have called Soul Train a "black American Bandstand," 74.    Cornelius acknowledged Bandstand as a model for his program, but he tended to bristle at the Bandstand comparisons. 75.    Cornelius, with help from Jesse Jackson, openly accused Dick Clark of trying to undermine TV's only Black-owned show, when Clark launched "Soul Unlimited". 76.    Cornelius was relatively conservative in his musical tastes and was admittedly not a fan of the emerging hip hop genre, believing that the genre did not reflect positively on African-American culture (one of his stated goals for the series). 77.    Rosie Perez testified in the 2010 VH1 documentary Soul Train: The Hippest Trip in America that Cornelius also disliked seeing the show's dancers perform sexually suggestive "East Coast" dance moves. 78.     This disconnect (which was openly mocked in an In-Living Color sketch where Cornelius and the show were lampooned as extremely old and out of touch) eventually led to Cornelius's stepping down as host in the early 1990s and the show's losing its influence. Black Church Sources: https://thewitnessbcc.com/history-black-church/ https://aaregistry.org/story/the-black-church-a-brief-history/ http://news.gallup.com/poll/200186/five-key-findings-religion.aspx [2016] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Black_America#Baptists https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Black_America http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/02/07/5-facts-about-the-religious-lives-of-african-americans/

Topics: Black Power Movement, Muhammad Ali, Angela Davis, James Brown, Sidney Poitier, and Flip Wilson. (Bonus Artists: hidingtobefound & Luck Pacheco)

1970

  Snapshots   MLK birthday celebrated in many states   Toni Morrison’s 1st novel, “The Bluest Eye”   Black Enterprise and Essence start   Jimi Hendricks dies   Cheryl Adrienne Brown (Miss Iowa) 1st black to compete in Miss America

Social/Political Key Development:

Part 1: Black Power Movement

The Black Power Movement focused on racial pride, self-sufficiency, and equality for all people of Black and African descent. It was led by a generation of black activists who had participated the Civil Rights movement. By the mid-1960s, a split developed among those activists and many no longer saw nonviolent protests as a viable way of combatting racism. Major turning point: The Watts riots, a 5 day "War" in 1965, that took place in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. Dead‎: ‎34 / Injured‎: ‎1,032 New organizations (the Black Panther Party, the Black Women’s United Front, the Nation of Islam, and others) developed new cultural, political, and economic programs. Desegregation was insufficient. Deconstruction of the white power structures was the new focus. Because they wanted space for black political voices, collective black power, and social autonomy, the movement was often viewed as violent, anti-white, and anti-law enforcement. Key events: the 1965 assassination of Malcom X, and the 1968 assassination of MLK. Major accomplishment: raising the collective level of consciousness, pride, and interest in education. By the mid-1970s, the movement was in decline due to government repression, intragroup squabbles, and further assassinations. Also, police raids, arrests, and harassment. By 1973 African-American activists had begun to concentrate on getting blacks and progressive whites elected to public office. By 1976, the traditional movement was effectually dead. Legacy: Some have compared the modern movement Black Lives Matter to the Black Power movement noting a January 2015 community panel, hosted by the Garfield H.S. – B.S.U. (Seattle) titled: Black Power to Black Lives Matter, connecting the current youth-led struggle of BLACK LIVES MATTER to the Black Power movement of the 1960s-1970s.

Part 2:  Conclusion

The Black Power movement not only represented a change in tactical strategy, but also a change in the mind-set of African-Americans. For instance, the black music industry, with its roots in gospel and rhythm and blues became more nationalist. Songs like the Impressions’ “We’re a Winner” (1967), James Brown’s “Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud” (1968), and the Temptations’ “Message to a Black Man” (1969) helped establish a distinctive sound for a generation of politically conscious young black Americans. Some blacks chose to don African garb and adopt African names. The slogans “Power to the People” and “Black is Beautiful” became very popular. The movement’s style and fashion (military berets, leather gloves and hats, bright powder-blue shirts, and Afro hairstyles were also symbolically important. The impact of this imagery was immediate and resonated across the United States as well as throughout the world.

Part 3: Important figures

Nat Turner (d. 1841, American slave) Marcus Garvey (d. 1940, Black Nationalist political advocate) Frantz Fanon (d. 1961, Psychiatrist/Author – “This Wretched Earth: Algerian struggle against colonialism) W.E.B. Dubois (d. 1963, Historian) Malcolm X (d. 1965, Minister/Activist) MLK (d. 1968, Minister/Activist) 1968 Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos Stockley Carmichael (d. 1998, Activist) Hughey P. Newton (d. 1989, Activist/BPP) Bobby Seale (Activist/BPP) Eldridge Cleaver (d. 1998, Activist/BPP)

Part 4. Key Figure: Muhammad Ali (1942-2016, Black America’s Crown Jewel and The Embodiment of the Black Power Movement)

   Key 1970 event: Licenses reinstated by the New York State boxing commission.    Important Woman: Angela Davis (b. 1944, Political activist, academic, and author)

She emerged as a prominent counterculture activist in the 1960s working with the Black Panther Party and being highly involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Because of purchasing firearms used in the 1970-armed take-over of a Marin County, California courtroom, in which four persons were killed, she was prosecuted for conspiracy. She was later acquitted of this charge. She is a professor emerita at the University of California, Santa Cruz, in its History of Consciousness Department Activist

C: Economic Snapshot: Unemployment rate, 4.9%. Minimum wage, $1.45ph ($58 weekly, $2,900 yearly, ~$18,652 2018)

D: Pop Culture Snapshots

  Toni Morrison’s 1st novel, “The Bluest Eye”   The Jackson 5 breakout with, “I Want You Back” and “ABC”   Diana Ross: Leaves the Supremes   Jimi Hendricks dies

Black Music Top 10 Singles

1    Jackson 5 ►The Love You Save

2    Smokey Robinson & The Miracles ►The Tears of a Clown

3    The Jackson 5 ►I Want You Back

4    Jackson 5 ►ABC

5    Stevie Wonder ►Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours

6    Sly & The Family Stone ►Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin

7    The Moments ►Love on a Two-Way Street

8    Diana Ross ►Ain't No Mountain High Enough

9    The 5th Dimension ►One Less Bell to Answer

10    The Temptations ►Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)

Key Albums

- Jan Puzzle People    The Temptations

- Feb Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5    The Jackson 5

- Apr Psychedelic Shack    The Temptations

- May The Isaac Hayes Movement    Isaac Hayes

- Jun ABC    The Jackson 5

- Sep Diana Ross    Diana Ross

- Oct Third Album    The Jackson 5

- Dec Greatest Hits    Sly and the Family Stone

- Dec ...To Be Continued    Isaac Hayes

Key Artist: James Brown (d. 2006, Soul Brother #1, The Godfather)

Black Film Key Releases:

- Cotton Comes to Harlem:

Plot: "Reverend" Deke O'Malley, a conman, is selling shares at a Harlem rally, for the purchase of a Back-to-Africa movement ship to be called The Black Beauty. During the rally, several masked gunmen jump out of a meat truck and steal $87,000 in donated cash from the back of an armored car. Two Harlem detectives, Gravedigger Jones and "Coffin" Ed Johnson chase the car, and a bale of cotton falls out of the vehicle, unremarked at the time. Uncle Budd, a scavenger, finds the bale of cotton and sells it for $25 to a junk dealer, but later buys it back for $30. There is a reward out for the $87,000, and Gravedigger and Coffin deduce that the money was probably hidden inside of the bale which had fallen out of the getaway vehicle during the chase. After accusing Reverend O’Malley of stealing the money and taking him captive, Detectives Jones and Johnson are able to blackmail Tom, a mob leader, to give them $87,000 - to be restored to the original donors - after discovering that Uncle Budd has run off with the stolen money and emigrated to Ghana, to live in retirement with his ill-gotten gains.

Directed by    Ossie Davis

Written by    Ossie Davis

Arnold Perl

Starring    Godfrey Cambridge

Raymond St. Jacques

Calvin Lockhart

Release date

May 26, 1970

Box office    $5.2 million (rentals)

- Halls of Anger

Plot: A predominantly black high school is integrated by white students and trouble follows.

Directed by    Paul Bogart

Written by    John Herman Shaner

Al Ramrus

Starring    Calvin Lockhart

Janet MacLachlan

Jeff Bridges

Release date

April 29, 1970 (United States)

Budget    $1.6 million

- ...tick...tick...tick

Plot: In a small Southern town, Jim Price is elected sheriff over John Little, the incumbent. Racial tensions exist in the community, and Price gets little assistance from Little, leaving office, or from Mayor Parks, who insists he be consulted on any decision the new sheriff makes.

A white man, John Braddock, is arrested on a manslaughter charge after his drunken driving causes the death of a young girl. Braddock's father carries considerable influence and demands his son be freed. Price's deputy, Bradford Wilkes, is beaten by Little's former deputy, Bengy Springer.

Another arrest is made, this time of a black man, George Harley, accused of rape. The townspeople's mood turns uglier by the minute, particularly when Braddock's father threatens to spring his son by force if necessary.

Little's conscience gets the better of him. He agrees to become Price's new deputy. Together, they try in vain to persuade other men in town to side with them against Braddock's vigilantes and to convince the mayor to call in the National Guard for help. Alone against the mob, Price and Little form a barricade and prepare for the worst when their fellow townsmen suddenly join them in the street.

Directed by    Ralph Nelson

Written by    James Lee Barrett

Starring    Jim Brown

George Kennedy

Fredric March

Release date

January 9, 1970

Box office    $2,144,000

Key Movie: They Call me Mr. Tibbs

- Plot: The second installment in a trilogy, the release was preceded by In the Heat of the Night (1967).  Detective Virgil Tibbs, now a lieutenant with the San Francisco police, is assigned to investigate the murder of a prostitute. A prime suspect is Rev. Logan Sharpe, a liberal street preacher and political organizer, who insists to Tibbs that he was merely visiting the hooker in a professional capacity, advising her spiritually.  Tibbs questions a janitor from the victim's building, Mealie Williamson, and Woody Garfield, who might have been the woman's pimp. Suspicion falls on a man named Rice Weedon, who takes umbrage and is shot by Tibbs in self-defense. Tibbs concludes that Sharpe really must be the culprit. Sharpe confesses but requests Tibbs give him some time to complete his work on one last political issue. Told this wouldn't be possible, Sharpe takes his own life.

Directed by    Gordon Douglas

Written by    Alan Trustman

Starring    Sidney Poitier

Martin Landau

Barbara McNair

Music by    Quincy Jones

July 8, 1970

Box office    $2,350,000

Key Actor/Actress: Sidney Poitier

Sir Sidney Poitier, KBE (born February 20, 1927) is a Bahamian-American actor, film director, author, and diplomat.

In 1964, Poitier became the first Bahamian and first black actor to win an Academy Award for Best Actor, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor[a] for his role in Lilies of the Field. The significance of these achievements was bolstered in 1967, when he starred in three successful films, all of which dealt with issues involving race and race relations: To Sir, with Love; In the Heat of the Night; and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, making him the top box-office star of that year. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Poitier among the Greatest Male Stars of classic Hollywood cinema, ranking 22nd on the list of 25.

Black TV Important Event

Carters Army

Plot: A redneck officer (Stephen Boyd) is put in charge of a squad of all black troops charged with the mission of securing an important hydro dam in Nazi Germany. Their failure would delay the Allied advance into Germany, thus prolonging the war. These African-Americans had been relegated to cleaning latrines and therefore have little real military training, but Captain Beau Carter has no choice. He leads the rag-tag unit to secure the dam and the men reveal themselves as heroic

.

Written by    Aaron Spelling

David Kidd

Directed by    George McCowan

Original release   

January 27, 1970

Cast

Stephen Boyd as Capt. Beau Carter

Robert Hooks as Lt. Edward Wallace

Susan Oliver as Anna Renvic

Roosevelt Grier as Big Jim

Moses Gunn as Pvt. Doc Hayes

Richard Pryor as Pvt. Jonathan Crunk

Glynn Turman as Pvt. George Brightman

Billy Dee Williams as Pvt. Lewis

Paul Stewart as Gen. Clark

Key Show

The Flip Wilson Show

Main Character: Geraldine (Wilson)

Starring    Flip Wilson

No. of seasons    4

No. of episodes    94

Original network    NBC

Original release    September 17, 1970 – June 27, 1974

The Flip Wilson Show was an hour-long variety show. The program was the first successful network variety series starring an African American. During its first two seasons, its Nielsen ratings made it the nation's second most watched show.

3: Key Actor/Actress: Flip Wilson (1933-1998, Comedian) Our first "Star"

 Clerow "Flip" Wilson Jr. (1933 – 1998) was an American comedian and actor best known for his television appearances during the late 1960s. The series earned Wilson a Golden Globe and two Emmy Awards. He also won a Grammy Award in 1970 for his comedy album The Devil Made Me Buy This Dress. In January 1972, Time magazine featured Wilson's image on its cover and named him "TV's first black superstar". According to The New York Times, Wilson was "the first black entertainer to be the host of a successful weekly variety show on network television."

A detailed look at black, African-American, culture during the "Sixties". (1960-1969) (Bonus Artists: hidingtobefound & Luck Pacheco)

Overview   "The Sixties":  the counterculture and revolution in social norms about clothing, music, drugs, dress, sexuality, formalities, and schooling – or - irresponsible excess, flamboyance, and decay of social order.   Also labeled the Swinging Sixties because of the fall or relaxation of social taboos especially relating to racism and sexism that occurred during this time.   Also described as a classical Jungian nightmare cycle, where a rigid culture, unable to contain the demands for greater individual freedom, broke free of the social constraints of the previous age through extreme deviation from the norm.   The confrontation between the US and the Soviet Union dominated geopolitics during the '60s, with the struggle expanding into developing nations in Latin America, Africa, and Asia characterized by proxy wars, funding of insurgencies, and puppet governments.   In response to civil disobedience campaigns from groups like the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), U.S. President John F. Kennedy, pushed for social reforms. Kennedy's assassination in 1963 was a shock.   Liberal reforms were finally passed under Lyndon B. Johnson including civil rights for African Americans· and healthcare for the elderly and the poor. Despite his large-scale Great Society programs, Johnson was increasingly reviled. The heavy-handed American role in the Vietnam War outraged student protestors around the globe.   The assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., anti-Vietnam War movement, and the police response towards protesters of the 1968 Democratic National Convention, defined a politics of violence in the United States.

The 1960s were marked by several notable assassinations:

  12 June 1963 – Medgar Evers, an NAACP field secretary. Assassinated by Byron de la Beckwith, a member of the Ku Klux Klan in Jackson, Mississippi.   22 November 1963 – John F. Kennedy, President of the United States. Assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald while riding in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas.   21 February 1965 – Malcolm X. Assassinated by members of the Nation of Islam in New York City. There is a dispute about which members killed Malcolm X.   4 April 1968 – Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights leader. Assassinated by James Earl Ray in Memphis, Tennessee.   5 June 1968 – Robert F. Kennedy, United States Senator. Assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan in Los Angeles, after taking California in the presidential national primaries.

Social and political movements (counterculture)   Flower Power/Hippies

In the second half of the decade, young people began to revolt against the conservative norms of the time. The youth involved in the popular social aspects of the movement became known as hippies. These groups created a movement toward liberation in society, including the sexual revolution, questioning authority and government, and demanding more freedoms and rights for women and minorities. The movement was also marked by the first widespread, socially accepted drug use (including LSD and marijuana) and psychedelic music.

  Anti-war movement

The war in Vietnam would eventually lead to a commitment of over half a million American troops, resulting in over 58,500 American deaths and producing a large-scale antiwar movement in the United States.

Students became a powerful and disruptive force and university campuses sparked a national debate over the war.

The antiwar movement was heavily influenced by the American Communist Party, but by the mid-1960s it outgrew this and became a broad-based mass movement centered in universities and churches: one kind of protest was called a "sit-in".

  Civil rights movement

Beginning in the mid-1950s and continuing into the late 1960s, African-Americans in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against black Americans and voting rights to them. The emergence of the Black Power movement, which lasted roughly from 1966 to 1975, enlarged the aims of the civil rights movement to include racial dignity, economic and political self-sufficiency, and anti-imperialism.

The movement was characterized by major campaigns of civil resistance. Forms of protest and/or civil disobedience included boycotts such as the successful Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–1956) in Alabama; "sit-ins" such as the influential Greensboro sit-ins (1960) in North Carolina; marches, such as the Selma to Montgomery marches (1965) in Alabama.; and a wide range of other nonviolent activities.

Noted legislative achievements during this phase of the civil rights movement were passage of Civil Rights Act of 1964, that banned discrimination based on "race, color, religion, or national origin" in employment practices and public accommodations; the Voting Rights Act of 1965, that restored and protected voting rights; the Immigration and Nationality Services Act of 1965, that dramatically opened entry to the U.S. to immigrants other than traditional European groups; and the Fair Housing Act of 1968, that banned discrimination in the sale or rental of housing.

  Hispanic and Chicano movement

Another large ethnic minority group, the Mexican-Americans, are among other Hispanics in the U.S. who fought to end racial discrimination and socioeconomic disparity.

In the 1960s and the following 1970s, Hispanic-American culture was on the rebound like ethnic music, foods, culture and identity both became popular and assimilated into the American mainstream. Spanish-language television networks, radio stations and newspapers increased in presence across the country.

  Second-wave feminism

A second wave of feminism in the United States and around the world gained momentum in the early 1960s. While the first wave of the early 20th century was centered on gaining suffrage and overturning de jure inequalities, the second wave was focused on changing cultural and social norms and de facto inequalities associated with women. At the time, a woman's place was generally seen as being in the home, and they were excluded from many jobs and professions.

Feminists took to the streets, marching and protesting, writing books and debating to change social and political views that limited women. In 1963, with Betty Friedan's revolutionary book, The Feminine Mystique, the role of women in society, and in public and private life was questioned. By 1966, the movement was beginning to grow and power as women's group spread across the country and Friedan, along with other feminists, founded the National Organization for Women. In 1968, "Women's Liberation" became a household term.

  Gay rights movement

The United States, in the middle of a social revolution, led the world in LGBT rights in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Inspired by the civil-rights movement and the women's movement, early gay-rights pioneers had begun, by the 1960s, to build a movement. These groups were rather conservative in their practices, emphasizing that gay men and women are no different from those who are straight and deserve full equality. This philosophy would be dominant again after AIDS, but by the very end of the 1960s, the movement's goals would change and become more radical, demanding a right to be different, and encouraging gay pride.

  Crime

The 1960s was also associated with a large increase in crime and urban unrest of all types. Between 1960 and 1969 reported incidences of violent crime per 100,000 people in the United States nearly doubled and have yet to return to the levels of the early 1960s. Large riots broke out in many cities like Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York City, Newark, New Jersey, Oakland, California and Washington, D.C. By the end of the decade, politicians like George Wallace and Richard Nixon campaigned on restoring law and order to a nation troubled with the new unrest.

Economics

The decade began with a recession and at that time unemployment was considered high at around 7%.

John F. Kennedy promised to "get America moving again." To do this, he instituted a 7% tax credit for businesses that invest in new plants and equipment.

By the end of the decade, median family income had risen from $8,540 in 1963 to $10,770 by 1969.

Minimum wage was $1.30 per hour / ~$2,700 per year (~$18,700 in 2018)

Popular culture   The counterculture movement dominated the second half of the 1960s, its most famous moments being the Summer of Love in San Francisco in 1967, and the Woodstock Festival in upstate New York in 1969. Psychedelic drugs, especially LSD, were widely used medicinally, spiritually and recreationally throughout the late 1960s, and were popularized by Timothy Leary with his slogan "Turn on, tune in, drop out". Psychedelic influenced the music, artwork and films of the decade, and several prominent musicians died of drug overdoses. There was a growing interest in Eastern religions and philosophy, and many attempts were made to found communes, which varied from supporting free love to religious puritanism.

Music

  British Invasion: The Beatles arrive at John F. Kennedy International Airport, 7 February 1964   "The 60's were a leap in human consciousness. Mahatma Gandhi, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Che Guevara, Mother Teresa, they led a revolution of conscience. The Beatles, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix created revolution and evolution themes. The music was like Dalí, with many colors and revolutionary ways. The youth of today must go there to find themselves." – Carlos Santana.

  As the 1960s began, the major rock-and-roll stars of the '50s such as Chuck Berry and Little Richard had dropped off the charts and popular music in the US came to be dominated by Motown girl groups and novelty pop songs. Another important change in music during the early 1960s was the American folk music revival which introduced Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, The Kingston Trio, Harry Belafonte, Bob Dylan, Odetta, and many other Singer-songwriters to the public.   Girl groups and female singers, such as the Shirelles, Betty Everett, Little Eva, the Dixie Cups, the Ronettes, and the Supremes dominated the charts in the early 1960s. This style consisted typically of light pop themes about teenage romance, backed by vocal harmonies and a strong rhythm. Most girl groups were African-American, but white girl groups and singers, such as Lesley Gore, the Angels, and the Shangri-Las emerged by 1963.   Around the same time, record producer Phil Spector began producing girl groups and created a new kind of pop music production that came to be known as the Wall of Sound. This style emphasized higher budgets and more elaborate arrangements, and more melodramatic musical themes in place of a simple, light-hearted pop sound. Spector's innovations became integral to the growing sophistication of popular music from 1965 onward.   Also during the early '60s, the “car song” emerged as a rock subgenre and coupled with the surf rock subgenre. Such notable songs include "Little Deuce Coupe," "409," and "Shut Down," all by the Beach Boys; Jan and Dean's "Little Old Lady from Pasadena" and "Drag City," among many others.   While rock 'n' roll had 'disappeared' from the US charts in the early '60s, it never died out in Europe and Britain was a hotbed of rock-and-roll activity during this time. In late 1963, the Beatles embarked on their first US tour. A few months later, rock-and-roll founding father Chuck Berry emerged from a 2-1/2-year prison stint and resumed recording and touring. The stage was set for the spectacular revival of rock music.   In the UK, the Beatles played raucous rock 'n' roll – as well as doo wop, girl-group songs, show tunes. Beatlemania abruptly exploded after the group's appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964.   As the counterculture movement developed, artists began making new kinds of music influenced by the use of psychedelic drugs. Guitarist Jimi Hendrix emerged onto the scene in 1967 with a radically new approach to electric guitar that replaced Chuck Berry, previously seen as the gold standard of rock guitar. Rock artists began to take on serious themes and social commentary/protest instead of simplistic pop themes.   A major development in popular music during the mid-1960s was the movement away from singles and towards albums.   Blues also continued to develop strongly during the '60s, but after 1965, it increasingly shifted to the young white rock audience and away from its traditional black audience, which moved on to other styles such as soul and funk.   Jazz music during the first half of the '60s was largely a continuation of '50s styles, retaining its core audience of young, urban, college-educated whites. By 1967, the death of several important jazz figures such as John Coltrane and Nat King Cole precipitated a decline in the genre. The takeover of rock in the late '60s largely spelled the end of jazz as a mainstream form of music, after it had dominated much of the first half of the 20th century.

Significant events in music in the 1960s:

  Sam Cooke was shot and killed at a motel in Los Angeles, California [11 December 1964] at age 33 under suspicious circumstances.   Motown Record Corporation was founded in 1960. Its first Top Ten hit was "Shop Around" by the Miracles in 1960. "Shop Around" peaked at number-two on the Billboard Hot 100 and was Motown's first million-selling record.   The Marvelettes scored Motown Record Corporation's first US No. 1 pop hit, "Please Mr. Postman" in 1961. Motown would score 110 Billboard Top-Ten hits during its run.   The Supremes scored twelve number-one hit singles between 1964 and 1969, beginning with "Where Did Our Love Go".   John Coltrane released A Love Supreme in late 1964, considered among the most acclaimed jazz albums of the era.   In 1966, The Supremes A' Go-Go was the first album by a female group to reach the top position of the Billboard magazine pop albums chart in the United States.   The Jimi Hendrix Experience released two successful albums during 1967, Are You Experienced and Axis: Bold as Love, that innovate both guitar, trio and recording techniques.   R & B legend Otis Redding has his first No. 1 hit with the legendary Sitting on the Dock of the Bay. He also played at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 just before he died in a plane crash.   The Bee Gees released their international debut album Bee Gees 1st in July 1967 which included the pop standard "To Love Somebody".   1968: after The Yardbirds fold, Led Zeppelin was formed by Jimmy Page and manager Peter Grant, with Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones; and, released their debut album Led Zeppelin.   Big Brother and the Holding Company, with Janis Joplin as lead singer, became an overnight sensation after their performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and released their second album Cheap Thrills in 1968.   Gram Parsons with The Byrds released the extremely influential LP Sweetheart of the Rodeo in late 1968, forming the basis for country rock.   The Jimi Hendrix Experience released the highly influential double LP Electric Ladyland in 1968 that furthered the guitar and studio innovations of his previous two albums.   Woodstock Festival, 1969   Sly & the Family Stone revolutionized black music with their massive 1968 hit single "Dance to the Music" and by 1969 became international sensations with the release of their hit record Stand!. The band cemented their position as a vital counterculture band when they performed at the Woodstock Festival.

Film

Some of Hollywood's most notable blockbuster films of the 1960s include:

2001: A Space Odyssey, The Apartment, The Birds, I Am Curious (Yellow), Bonnie and Clyde, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Bullitt, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Carnival of Souls, Cleopatra, Cool , and Luke, The Dirty Dozen, Doctor Zhivago, Dr. Strangelove, Easy Rider, Exodus, Faces, Funny Girl, Goldfinger, The Graduate, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, , Head, How the West Was Won, The , Hustler, Ice Station Zebra, In the Heat of the Night, The Italian Job, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Jason and the Argonauts, Judgment at Nuremberg, The Jungle Book, Lawrence of Arabia, The Lion in Winter, The Longest Day, The Love Bug, A Man for All Seasons, The Manchurian Candidate, Mary Poppins, Medium Cool, Midnight Cowboy, My Fair Lady, Night of the Living Dead, The Pink Panther, The Odd Couple, Oliver!, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, One Million Years B.C., Planet of the Apes, Psycho, Romeo and Juliet, Rosemary's Baby, The Sound of Music, Spartacus, Swiss Family Robinson, To Kill a Mockingbird, Valley of the Dolls, West Side Story, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Wild Bunch.

Television

  The most prominent American TV series of the 1960s include: The Ed Sullivan Show, Star Trek, Peyton Place, The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, The Andy Williams Show, The Dean Martin Show, The Wonderful World of Disney, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Beverly Hillbillies, Bonanza, Batman, McHale's Navy, Laugh-In, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Fugitive, The Tonight Show, Gunsmoke, The Andy Griffith Show, Gilligan's Island, Mission: Impossible, The Flintstones, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Lassie, The Danny Thomas Show, The Lucy Show, My Three Sons, The Red Skelton Show, Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie.   The Flintstones was a favored show, receiving 40 million views an episode with an average of 3 views a day.   Some programming such as The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour became controversial by challenging the foundations of America's corporate and governmental controls; making fun of world leaders, and questioning U.S. involvement in and escalation of the Vietnam War.

Fashion

  Significant fashion trends of the 1960s include:

  The Beatles exerted an enormous influence on young men's fashions and hairstyles in the 1960s which included most notably the mop-top haircut, the Beatle boots and the Nehru jacket.   The hippie movement late in the decade also had a strong influence on clothing styles, including bell-bottom jeans, tie-dye and batik fabrics, as well as paisley prints.   The bikini came into fashion in 1963 after being featured in the film Beach Party.   Mary Quant invented the miniskirt, which became one of the most popular fashion rages in the late 1960s among young women and teenage girls. Its popularity continued throughout the first half of the 1970s and then disappeared temporarily from mainstream fashion before making a comeback in the mid-1980s.   Men's mainstream hairstyles ranged from the pompadour, the crew cut, the flattop hairstyle, the tapered hairstyle, and short, parted hair in the early part of the decade, to longer parted hairstyles with sideburns towards the latter half of the decade.   Women's mainstream hairstyles ranged from beehive hairdos, the bird's nest hairstyle, and the chignon hairstyle in the early part of the decade, to very short styles popularized by Twiggy and Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby towards the latter half of the decade.   African-American hairstyles for men and women included the afro.

  James Brown

"Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" (1965)

"I Got You (I Feel Good)" (1965)

"Say It Loud--I'm Black and I'm Proud" (1968)

  Ray Charles

"Georgia On My Mind' (1960)

"Hit the Road Jack" (1961)

"I Can't Stop Loving You" (1962)

  Marvin Gaye

"Ain't That Peculiar?" (1965)

"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (1968)

"Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" (1969)

  The Temptations

"My Girl" (1965)

"Ain't Too to Beg" (1966)

"I Can't Get Next to You" (1969)

  Bobby "Blue" Bland

"I Pity the Fool" (1961)

"Turn On Your Lovelight" (1961)

"Ain't Nothing You Can Do" (1964)

  Aretha Franklin

"I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" (1967)

"Respect" (1967)

"Chain of Fools" (1967-68)

  The Supremes

"Where Did Our Love Go?" (1964)

"Stop! In the Name of Love" (1965)

"Love Child" (1968)

  Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

"Shop Around" (1960-61)

"You've Really Got a Hold On Me" (1962-63)

"The Tracks of My Tears" (1965)

  The Impressions

"Gypsy Woman" (1961)

"It's All Right" (1963)

"People Get Ready" (1965)

  Brook Benton

"Kiddio" (1960)

"Think Twice" (1961)

"Hotel Happiness" (1962-63)

  Jackie Wilson

"Doggin' Around" (1960)

"Baby Workout" (1963)

"(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" (1967)

  Sam Cooke

"Wonderful World" (1960)

"Bring It On Home To Me" (1962)

"A Change is Gonna Come" (1965)

  Otis Redding

"These Arms of Mine" (1963)

"Try a Little Tenderness" (1966-67)

"(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" (1968)

  Jerry Butler

"He Will Break Your Heart" (1960)

"Never Give You Up" (1968)

"Only the Strong Survive" (1969)

  Wilson Pickett

"In the Midnight Hour" (1965)

"Land of 1000 Dances" (1966)

"Funky Broadway" (1967)

  Stevie Wonder

"Fingertips, Part 2" (1963)

"Uptight (Everything's Alright)" (1965-66)

"I Was Made to Love Her" (1967)

  B.B. King

"Beautician Blues" (1964)

"Waiting on You" (1966)

"Paying the Cost To Be the Boss" (1968)

  Joe Tex

"Hold What You've Got" (1964-65)

"A Sweet Woman Like You" (1965-66)

"Skinny Legs and All" (1967)

  The Marvelettes

"Please Mr. Postman" (1961)

"Beechwood 4-5789" (1962)

"Too Many Fish in the Sea" (1965)

  Mary Wells

"Bye Bye Baby" (1960-61)

"The One Who Really Loves You" (1962)

"My Guy" (1964)

  The Four Tops

"Baby, I Need Your Loving" (1964)

"I Can't Help Myself (A/K/A Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" (1965)

"Reach Out, I'll Be There" (1966)

  Martha & The Vandellas

"Heat Wave" (1963)

"Dancing in the Street" (1964)

"Nowhere to Run" (1965)

  Dionne Warwick

"Don't Make Me Over" (1962-63)

"Anyone Who Had a Heart" (1963-64)

"Walk On By" (1964)

  Solomon Burke

"Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Open Arms)" (1961)

"Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" (1964)

"Got To Get You Off My Mind" (1965)

  Etta James

"At Last" (1960-61)

"Tell Mama" (1967-68)

"I'd Rather Go Blind" (1967-68)

  The Shirelles

"Will You Love Me Tomorrow? (1960-61)

"Dedicated to the One I Love" (1961)

"Baby It's You" (1961-62)

  Chuck Jackson

"I Don't Want to Cry" (1961)

"Any Day Now (My Wild Beautiful Bird)" (1962)

"Beg Me" (1964)

  Gene Chandler

"Duke of Earl" (1962)

"Rainbow" (1963)

"I Fooled You This Time" (1966)

  The Drifters

"This Magic Moment" (1960)

"Save the Last Dance for Me" (1960)

"Up on the Roof" (1962-63)

  Jr. Walker & The All-Stars

"Shotgun" (1965)

"(I'm A) Road Runner" (1966)

"Home Cookin'" (1968-69)

  Gladys Knight & The Pips

"Every Beat of My Heart" (1961)

"I Heard it Through the Grapevine" (1967)

"Friendship Train" (1969)

  Carla Thomas

"Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)" (1961)

"B-A-B-Y" (1966)

"Another Night Without My Man" (1966)

  Chubby Checker

"The Twist" (1960)

"Pony Time" (1961)

"Dancin' Party" (1962)

  Sam & Dave

"Hold On! I'm A Comin'" (1966)

"When Something is Wrong With My Baby" (1967)

"Soul Man" (1967)

  Joe Simon

"My Adorable One" (1964)

"Nine Pound Steel" (1967)

"The Chokin' Kind" (1969)

  The Dells

"There Is" (1967-68)

"Stay in My Corner" (1968)

"Oh, What a Night" (1969)

  Little Milton

"So Mean To Me" (1962)

"We're Gonna Make It" (1965)

"Grits Ain't Groceries" (1969)

  Ben E. King

"Spanish Harlem" (1960-61)

"Stand By Me" (1961)

"That's When it Hurts" (1964)

  Betty Everett

"You're No Good" (1963)

"The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" (1964)

"There'll Come a Time" (1969)

  Hank Ballard & The Midnighters

"Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go" (1960)

"Finger Poppin' Time" (1960)

"Nothing But Good" (1961)

  Major Lance

"The Monkey Time" (1963)

"Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" (1964)

"Investigate" (1966)

  Booker T. & The MGs

"Green Onions" (1962)

"Hip-Hug-Her" (1967)

"Time is Tight" (1969)

  The Intruders

"Together" (1967)

"Cowboys to Girls" (1968)

"(Love is Like a) Baseball Game" (1968)

  Ike & Tina Turner

"A Fool in Love" (1960)

"Goodbye, So Long" (1965)

"River Deep--Mountain High" (1966)

  Johnnie Taylor

"I Got to Love Somebody's Baby" (1966)

"Who's Making Love" (1968)

"I Could Never Be President" (1969)

  The Orlons

"The Wah Watusi" (1962)

"Don't Hang Up" (1962)

"South Street" (1963)

  Barbara Lewis

"Hello Stranger" (1963)

"Baby, I'm Yours" (1965)

"Make Me Your Baby" (1965)

  Maxine Brown

"All in My Mind" (1960-61)

"Oh No, Not My Baby" (1964)

"One in a Million" (1966)

  Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters

"Cry Baby" (1963)

"Tell Me Baby" (1964)

"I'll Take Good Care of You" (1966)

  Ramsey Lewis

"The In Crowd" (1965)

"Hang On Sloopy" (1965)

"Wade in the Water" (1966)

A detailed look at black, African-American, culture during the "Sixties". (1960-1969)

Overview   "The Sixties":  the counterculture and revolution in social norms about clothing, music, drugs, dress, sexuality, formalities, and schooling – or - irresponsible excess, flamboyance, and decay of social order.   Also labeled the Swinging Sixties because of the fall or relaxation of social taboos especially relating to racism and sexism that occurred during this time.   Also described as a classical Jungian nightmare cycle, where a rigid culture, unable to contain the demands for greater individual freedom, broke free of the social constraints of the previous age through extreme deviation from the norm.   The confrontation between the US and the Soviet Union dominated geopolitics during the '60s, with the struggle expanding into developing nations in Latin America, Africa, and Asia characterized by proxy wars, funding of insurgencies, and puppet governments.   In response to civil disobedience campaigns from groups like the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), U.S. President John F. Kennedy, pushed for social reforms. Kennedy's assassination in 1963 was a shock.   Liberal reforms were finally passed under Lyndon B. Johnson including civil rights for African Americans· and healthcare for the elderly and the poor. Despite his large-scale Great Society programs, Johnson was increasingly reviled. The heavy-handed American role in the Vietnam War outraged student protestors around the globe.   The assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., anti-Vietnam War movement, and the police response towards protesters of the 1968 Democratic National Convention, defined a politics of violence in the United States.

The 1960s were marked by several notable assassinations:

  12 June 1963 – Medgar Evers, an NAACP field secretary. Assassinated by Byron de la Beckwith, a member of the Ku Klux Klan in Jackson, Mississippi.   22 November 1963 – John F. Kennedy, President of the United States. Assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald while riding in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas.   21 February 1965 – Malcolm X. Assassinated by members of the Nation of Islam in New York City. There is a dispute about which members killed Malcolm X.   4 April 1968 – Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights leader. Assassinated by James Earl Ray in Memphis, Tennessee.   5 June 1968 – Robert F. Kennedy, United States Senator. Assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan in Los Angeles, after taking California in the presidential national primaries.

Social and political movements (counterculture)   Flower Power/Hippies

In the second half of the decade, young people began to revolt against the conservative norms of the time. The youth involved in the popular social aspects of the movement became known as hippies. These groups created a movement toward liberation in society, including the sexual revolution, questioning authority and government, and demanding more freedoms and rights for women and minorities. The movement was also marked by the first widespread, socially accepted drug use (including LSD and marijuana) and psychedelic music.

  Anti-war movement

The war in Vietnam would eventually lead to a commitment of over half a million American troops, resulting in over 58,500 American deaths and producing a large-scale antiwar movement in the United States.

Students became a powerful and disruptive force and university campuses sparked a national debate over the war.

The antiwar movement was heavily influenced by the American Communist Party, but by the mid-1960s it outgrew this and became a broad-based mass movement centered in universities and churches: one kind of protest was called a "sit-in".

  Civil rights movement

Beginning in the mid-1950s and continuing into the late 1960s, African-Americans in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against black Americans and voting rights to them. The emergence of the Black Power movement, which lasted roughly from 1966 to 1975, enlarged the aims of the civil rights movement to include racial dignity, economic and political self-sufficiency, and anti-imperialism.

The movement was characterized by major campaigns of civil resistance. Forms of protest and/or civil disobedience included boycotts such as the successful Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–1956) in Alabama; "sit-ins" such as the influential Greensboro sit-ins (1960) in North Carolina; marches, such as the Selma to Montgomery marches (1965) in Alabama.; and a wide range of other nonviolent activities.

Noted legislative achievements during this phase of the civil rights movement were passage of Civil Rights Act of 1964, that banned discrimination based on "race, color, religion, or national origin" in employment practices and public accommodations; the Voting Rights Act of 1965, that restored and protected voting rights; the Immigration and Nationality Services Act of 1965, that dramatically opened entry to the U.S. to immigrants other than traditional European groups; and the Fair Housing Act of 1968, that banned discrimination in the sale or rental of housing.

  Hispanic and Chicano movement

Another large ethnic minority group, the Mexican-Americans, are among other Hispanics in the U.S. who fought to end racial discrimination and socioeconomic disparity.

In the 1960s and the following 1970s, Hispanic-American culture was on the rebound like ethnic music, foods, culture and identity both became popular and assimilated into the American mainstream. Spanish-language television networks, radio stations and newspapers increased in presence across the country.

  Second-wave feminism

A second wave of feminism in the United States and around the world gained momentum in the early 1960s. While the first wave of the early 20th century was centered on gaining suffrage and overturning de jure inequalities, the second wave was focused on changing cultural and social norms and de facto inequalities associated with women. At the time, a woman's place was generally seen as being in the home, and they were excluded from many jobs and professions.

Feminists took to the streets, marching and protesting, writing books and debating to change social and political views that limited women. In 1963, with Betty Friedan's revolutionary book, The Feminine Mystique, the role of women in society, and in public and private life was questioned. By 1966, the movement was beginning to grow and power as women's group spread across the country and Friedan, along with other feminists, founded the National Organization for Women. In 1968, "Women's Liberation" became a household term.

  Gay rights movement

The United States, in the middle of a social revolution, led the world in LGBT rights in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Inspired by the civil-rights movement and the women's movement, early gay-rights pioneers had begun, by the 1960s, to build a movement. These groups were rather conservative in their practices, emphasizing that gay men and women are no different from those who are straight and deserve full equality. This philosophy would be dominant again after AIDS, but by the very end of the 1960s, the movement's goals would change and become more radical, demanding a right to be different, and encouraging gay pride.

  Crime

The 1960s was also associated with a large increase in crime and urban unrest of all types. Between 1960 and 1969 reported incidences of violent crime per 100,000 people in the United States nearly doubled and have yet to return to the levels of the early 1960s. Large riots broke out in many cities like Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York City, Newark, New Jersey, Oakland, California and Washington, D.C. By the end of the decade, politicians like George Wallace and Richard Nixon campaigned on restoring law and order to a nation troubled with the new unrest.

Economics

The decade began with a recession and at that time unemployment was considered high at around 7%.

John F. Kennedy promised to "get America moving again." To do this, he instituted a 7% tax credit for businesses that invest in new plants and equipment.

By the end of the decade, median family income had risen from $8,540 in 1963 to $10,770 by 1969.

Minimum wage was $1.30 per hour / ~$2,700 per year (~$18,700 in 2018)

Popular culture   The counterculture movement dominated the second half of the 1960s, its most famous moments being the Summer of Love in San Francisco in 1967, and the Woodstock Festival in upstate New York in 1969. Psychedelic drugs, especially LSD, were widely used medicinally, spiritually and recreationally throughout the late 1960s, and were popularized by Timothy Leary with his slogan "Turn on, tune in, drop out". Psychedelic influenced the music, artwork and films of the decade, and several prominent musicians died of drug overdoses. There was a growing interest in Eastern religions and philosophy, and many attempts were made to found communes, which varied from supporting free love to religious puritanism.

Music

  British Invasion: The Beatles arrive at John F. Kennedy International Airport, 7 February 1964   "The 60's were a leap in human consciousness. Mahatma Gandhi, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Che Guevara, Mother Teresa, they led a revolution of conscience. The Beatles, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix created revolution and evolution themes. The music was like Dalí, with many colors and revolutionary ways. The youth of today must go there to find themselves." – Carlos Santana.

  As the 1960s began, the major rock-and-roll stars of the '50s such as Chuck Berry and Little Richard had dropped off the charts and popular music in the US came to be dominated by Motown girl groups and novelty pop songs. Another important change in music during the early 1960s was the American folk music revival which introduced Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, The Kingston Trio, Harry Belafonte, Bob Dylan, Odetta, and many other Singer-songwriters to the public.   Girl groups and female singers, such as the Shirelles, Betty Everett, Little Eva, the Dixie Cups, the Ronettes, and the Supremes dominated the charts in the early 1960s. This style consisted typically of light pop themes about teenage romance, backed by vocal harmonies and a strong rhythm. Most girl groups were African-American, but white girl groups and singers, such as Lesley Gore, the Angels, and the Shangri-Las emerged by 1963.   Around the same time, record producer Phil Spector began producing girl groups and created a new kind of pop music production that came to be known as the Wall of Sound. This style emphasized higher budgets and more elaborate arrangements, and more melodramatic musical themes in place of a simple, light-hearted pop sound. Spector's innovations became integral to the growing sophistication of popular music from 1965 onward.   Also during the early '60s, the “car song” emerged as a rock subgenre and coupled with the surf rock subgenre. Such notable songs include "Little Deuce Coupe," "409," and "Shut Down," all by the Beach Boys; Jan and Dean's "Little Old Lady from Pasadena" and "Drag City," among many others.   While rock 'n' roll had 'disappeared' from the US charts in the early '60s, it never died out in Europe and Britain was a hotbed of rock-and-roll activity during this time. In late 1963, the Beatles embarked on their first US tour. A few months later, rock-and-roll founding father Chuck Berry emerged from a 2-1/2-year prison stint and resumed recording and touring. The stage was set for the spectacular revival of rock music.   In the UK, the Beatles played raucous rock 'n' roll – as well as doo wop, girl-group songs, show tunes. Beatlemania abruptly exploded after the group's appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964.   As the counterculture movement developed, artists began making new kinds of music influenced by the use of psychedelic drugs. Guitarist Jimi Hendrix emerged onto the scene in 1967 with a radically new approach to electric guitar that replaced Chuck Berry, previously seen as the gold standard of rock guitar. Rock artists began to take on serious themes and social commentary/protest instead of simplistic pop themes.   A major development in popular music during the mid-1960s was the movement away from singles and towards albums.   Blues also continued to develop strongly during the '60s, but after 1965, it increasingly shifted to the young white rock audience and away from its traditional black audience, which moved on to other styles such as soul and funk.   Jazz music during the first half of the '60s was largely a continuation of '50s styles, retaining its core audience of young, urban, college-educated whites. By 1967, the death of several important jazz figures such as John Coltrane and Nat King Cole precipitated a decline in the genre. The takeover of rock in the late '60s largely spelled the end of jazz as a mainstream form of music, after it had dominated much of the first half of the 20th century.

Significant events in music in the 1960s:

  Sam Cooke was shot and killed at a motel in Los Angeles, California [11 December 1964] at age 33 under suspicious circumstances.   Motown Record Corporation was founded in 1960. Its first Top Ten hit was "Shop Around" by the Miracles in 1960. "Shop Around" peaked at number-two on the Billboard Hot 100 and was Motown's first million-selling record.   The Marvelettes scored Motown Record Corporation's first US No. 1 pop hit, "Please Mr. Postman" in 1961. Motown would score 110 Billboard Top-Ten hits during its run.   The Supremes scored twelve number-one hit singles between 1964 and 1969, beginning with "Where Did Our Love Go".   John Coltrane released A Love Supreme in late 1964, considered among the most acclaimed jazz albums of the era.   In 1966, The Supremes A' Go-Go was the first album by a female group to reach the top position of the Billboard magazine pop albums chart in the United States.   The Jimi Hendrix Experience released two successful albums during 1967, Are You Experienced and Axis: Bold as Love, that innovate both guitar, trio and recording techniques.   R & B legend Otis Redding has his first No. 1 hit with the legendary Sitting on the Dock of the Bay. He also played at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 just before he died in a plane crash.   The Bee Gees released their international debut album Bee Gees 1st in July 1967 which included the pop standard "To Love Somebody".   1968: after The Yardbirds fold, Led Zeppelin was formed by Jimmy Page and manager Peter Grant, with Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones; and, released their debut album Led Zeppelin.   Big Brother and the Holding Company, with Janis Joplin as lead singer, became an overnight sensation after their performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and released their second album Cheap Thrills in 1968.   Gram Parsons with The Byrds released the extremely influential LP Sweetheart of the Rodeo in late 1968, forming the basis for country rock.   The Jimi Hendrix Experience released the highly influential double LP Electric Ladyland in 1968 that furthered the guitar and studio innovations of his previous two albums.   Woodstock Festival, 1969   Sly & the Family Stone revolutionized black music with their massive 1968 hit single "Dance to the Music" and by 1969 became international sensations with the release of their hit record Stand!. The band cemented their position as a vital counterculture band when they performed at the Woodstock Festival.

Film

Some of Hollywood's most notable blockbuster films of the 1960s include:

2001: A Space Odyssey, The Apartment, The Birds, I Am Curious (Yellow), Bonnie and Clyde, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Bullitt, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Carnival of Souls, Cleopatra, Cool , and Luke, The Dirty Dozen, Doctor Zhivago, Dr. Strangelove, Easy Rider, Exodus, Faces, Funny Girl, Goldfinger, The Graduate, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, , Head, How the West Was Won, The , Hustler, Ice Station Zebra, In the Heat of the Night, The Italian Job, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Jason and the Argonauts, Judgment at Nuremberg, The Jungle Book, Lawrence of Arabia, The Lion in Winter, The Longest Day, The Love Bug, A Man for All Seasons, The Manchurian Candidate, Mary Poppins, Medium Cool, Midnight Cowboy, My Fair Lady, Night of the Living Dead, The Pink Panther, The Odd Couple, Oliver!, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, One Million Years B.C., Planet of the Apes, Psycho, Romeo and Juliet, Rosemary's Baby, The Sound of Music, Spartacus, Swiss Family Robinson, To Kill a Mockingbird, Valley of the Dolls, West Side Story, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Wild Bunch.

Television

  The most prominent American TV series of the 1960s include: The Ed Sullivan Show, Star Trek, Peyton Place, The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, The Andy Williams Show, The Dean Martin Show, The Wonderful World of Disney, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Beverly Hillbillies, Bonanza, Batman, McHale's Navy, Laugh-In, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Fugitive, The Tonight Show, Gunsmoke, The Andy Griffith Show, Gilligan's Island, Mission: Impossible, The Flintstones, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Lassie, The Danny Thomas Show, The Lucy Show, My Three Sons, The Red Skelton Show, Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie.   The Flintstones was a favored show, receiving 40 million views an episode with an average of 3 views a day.   Some programming such as The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour became controversial by challenging the foundations of America's corporate and governmental controls; making fun of world leaders, and questioning U.S. involvement in and escalation of the Vietnam War.

Fashion

  Significant fashion trends of the 1960s include:

  The Beatles exerted an enormous influence on young men's fashions and hairstyles in the 1960s which included most notably the mop-top haircut, the Beatle boots and the Nehru jacket.   The hippie movement late in the decade also had a strong influence on clothing styles, including bell-bottom jeans, tie-dye and batik fabrics, as well as paisley prints.   The bikini came into fashion in 1963 after being featured in the film Beach Party.   Mary Quant invented the miniskirt, which became one of the most popular fashion rages in the late 1960s among young women and teenage girls. Its popularity continued throughout the first half of the 1970s and then disappeared temporarily from mainstream fashion before making a comeback in the mid-1980s.   Men's mainstream hairstyles ranged from the pompadour, the crew cut, the flattop hairstyle, the tapered hairstyle, and short, parted hair in the early part of the decade, to longer parted hairstyles with sideburns towards the latter half of the decade.   Women's mainstream hairstyles ranged from beehive hairdos, the bird's nest hairstyle, and the chignon hairstyle in the early part of the decade, to very short styles popularized by Twiggy and Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby towards the latter half of the decade.   African-American hairstyles for men and women included the afro.

  James Brown

"Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" (1965)

"I Got You (I Feel Good)" (1965)

"Say It Loud--I'm Black and I'm Proud" (1968)

  Ray Charles

"Georgia On My Mind' (1960)

"Hit the Road Jack" (1961)

"I Can't Stop Loving You" (1962)

  Marvin Gaye

"Ain't That Peculiar?" (1965)

"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (1968)

"Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" (1969)

  The Temptations

"My Girl" (1965)

"Ain't Too to Beg" (1966)

"I Can't Get Next to You" (1969)

  Bobby "Blue" Bland

"I Pity the Fool" (1961)

"Turn On Your Lovelight" (1961)

"Ain't Nothing You Can Do" (1964)

  Aretha Franklin

"I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" (1967)

"Respect" (1967)

"Chain of Fools" (1967-68)

  The Supremes

"Where Did Our Love Go?" (1964)

"Stop! In the Name of Love" (1965)

"Love Child" (1968)

  Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

"Shop Around" (1960-61)

"You've Really Got a Hold On Me" (1962-63)

"The Tracks of My Tears" (1965)

  The Impressions

"Gypsy Woman" (1961)

"It's All Right" (1963)

"People Get Ready" (1965)

  Brook Benton

"Kiddio" (1960)

"Think Twice" (1961)

"Hotel Happiness" (1962-63)

  Jackie Wilson

"Doggin' Around" (1960)

"Baby Workout" (1963)

"(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" (1967)

  Sam Cooke

"Wonderful World" (1960)

"Bring It On Home To Me" (1962)

"A Change is Gonna Come" (1965)

  Otis Redding

"These Arms of Mine" (1963)

"Try a Little Tenderness" (1966-67)

"(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" (1968)

  Jerry Butler

"He Will Break Your Heart" (1960)

"Never Give You Up" (1968)

"Only the Strong Survive" (1969)

  Wilson Pickett

"In the Midnight Hour" (1965)

"Land of 1000 Dances" (1966)

"Funky Broadway" (1967)

  Stevie Wonder

"Fingertips, Part 2" (1963)

"Uptight (Everything's Alright)" (1965-66)

"I Was Made to Love Her" (1967)

  B.B. King

"Beautician Blues" (1964)

"Waiting on You" (1966)

"Paying the Cost To Be the Boss" (1968)

  Joe Tex

"Hold What You've Got" (1964-65)

"A Sweet Woman Like You" (1965-66)

"Skinny Legs and All" (1967)

  The Marvelettes

"Please Mr. Postman" (1961)

"Beechwood 4-5789" (1962)

"Too Many Fish in the Sea" (1965)

  Mary Wells

"Bye Bye Baby" (1960-61)

"The One Who Really Loves You" (1962)

"My Guy" (1964)

  The Four Tops

"Baby, I Need Your Loving" (1964)

"I Can't Help Myself (A/K/A Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" (1965)

"Reach Out, I'll Be There" (1966)

  Martha & The Vandellas

"Heat Wave" (1963)

"Dancing in the Street" (1964)

"Nowhere to Run" (1965)

  Dionne Warwick

"Don't Make Me Over" (1962-63)

"Anyone Who Had a Heart" (1963-64)

"Walk On By" (1964)

  Solomon Burke

"Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Open Arms)" (1961)

"Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" (1964)

"Got To Get You Off My Mind" (1965)

  Etta James

"At Last" (1960-61)

"Tell Mama" (1967-68)

"I'd Rather Go Blind" (1967-68)

  The Shirelles

"Will You Love Me Tomorrow? (1960-61)

"Dedicated to the One I Love" (1961)

"Baby It's You" (1961-62)

  Chuck Jackson

"I Don't Want to Cry" (1961)

"Any Day Now (My Wild Beautiful Bird)" (1962)

"Beg Me" (1964)

  Gene Chandler

"Duke of Earl" (1962)

"Rainbow" (1963)

"I Fooled You This Time" (1966)

  The Drifters

"This Magic Moment" (1960)

"Save the Last Dance for Me" (1960)

"Up on the Roof" (1962-63)

  Jr. Walker & The All-Stars

"Shotgun" (1965)

"(I'm A) Road Runner" (1966)

"Home Cookin'" (1968-69)

  Gladys Knight & The Pips

"Every Beat of My Heart" (1961)

"I Heard it Through the Grapevine" (1967)

"Friendship Train" (1969)

  Carla Thomas

"Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)" (1961)

"B-A-B-Y" (1966)

"Another Night Without My Man" (1966)

  Chubby Checker

"The Twist" (1960)

"Pony Time" (1961)

"Dancin' Party" (1962)

  Sam & Dave

"Hold On! I'm A Comin'" (1966)

"When Something is Wrong With My Baby" (1967)

"Soul Man" (1967)

  Joe Simon

"My Adorable One" (1964)

"Nine Pound Steel" (1967)

"The Chokin' Kind" (1969)

  The Dells

"There Is" (1967-68)

"Stay in My Corner" (1968)

"Oh, What a Night" (1969)

  Little Milton

"So Mean To Me" (1962)

"We're Gonna Make It" (1965)

"Grits Ain't Groceries" (1969)

  Ben E. King

"Spanish Harlem" (1960-61)

"Stand By Me" (1961)

"That's When it Hurts" (1964)

  Betty Everett

"You're No Good" (1963)

"The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" (1964)

"There'll Come a Time" (1969)

  Hank Ballard & The Midnighters

"Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go" (1960)

"Finger Poppin' Time" (1960)

"Nothing But Good" (1961)

  Major Lance

"The Monkey Time" (1963)

"Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" (1964)

"Investigate" (1966)

  Booker T. & The MGs

"Green Onions" (1962)

"Hip-Hug-Her" (1967)

"Time is Tight" (1969)

  The Intruders

"Together" (1967)

"Cowboys to Girls" (1968)

"(Love is Like a) Baseball Game" (1968)

  Ike & Tina Turner

"A Fool in Love" (1960)

"Goodbye, So Long" (1965)

"River Deep--Mountain High" (1966)

  Johnnie Taylor

"I Got to Love Somebody's Baby" (1966)

"Who's Making Love" (1968)

"I Could Never Be President" (1969)

  The Orlons

"The Wah Watusi" (1962)

"Don't Hang Up" (1962)

"South Street" (1963)

  Barbara Lewis

"Hello Stranger" (1963)

"Baby, I'm Yours" (1965)

"Make Me Your Baby" (1965)

  Maxine Brown

"All in My Mind" (1960-61)

"Oh No, Not My Baby" (1964)

"One in a Million" (1966)

  Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters

"Cry Baby" (1963)

"Tell Me Baby" (1964)

"I'll Take Good Care of You" (1966)

  Ramsey Lewis

"The In Crowd" (1965)

"Hang On Sloopy" (1965)

"Wade in the Water" (1966)

Intention: The average person can not tell you the names of their Great-great-grandparents, and if they can name someone, it is unlikely that they know much about that person's life. This podcast is a legacy project and reference for future generations. We encourage you to email us your memories, corrections, comments,and questions. We would love to share and archive your contributions here.

Dedications: The Supreme Council (Grandmother, her three sisters, and father)

Thank you: Gladys, “Talk Star Wars.co.uk Podcast”, wife and daughter.

Peace, Derrick 5/2018